


I wanna be ten feet tall

by Midnightdemonht



Series: Skin becomes scales, hair becomes bone [1]
Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Horror, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Is it still a fix it fic if things get worse?, Minor Injuries, Platonic Cuddling, Team as Family, There Is An OC In This, he's neat, it is for me, lycanwings, the dragon werewolf tuff fic we all deserve, the minor part is arguable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27201011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnightdemonht/pseuds/Midnightdemonht
Summary: Oblivious to Tuff's inner panic, Snotlout sucked in a breath, eyes widening. He took a step back."That's a tail!"And unfortunately for Tuff, Snotlout wasn't exactly wrong. The tail, his tail, poked out from the back of his shirt, curling around his legs as if recognizing it's mistake."You are turning into a Lycanwing!"
Relationships: Astrid & Fishlegs & Hiccup & Ruffnut & Snotlout & Tuffnut, Ruffnut Thorston & Tuffnut Thorston
Series: Skin becomes scales, hair becomes bone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985762
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. I wanna scare everyone

**Author's Note:**

> Finally...months after first watching this episode...the fic is finally here. If you like Tuff, dragon werewolves, and fun times, then you've come to the right place! Enjoy! :)

When you lived with the Thorston twins, you got used to living through insane scenarios, and hearing a lot of hard to believe stories that were probably lies made up on the spot.

That was why, when Tuffnut stumbled out of the woods covered in scratches and twigs, clutching his right arm that was sporting a huge bite that took up almost a fourth of his arm, Hiccup listened to his explanation with eyebrows raised as high as they could go.. An explanation involving a mysterious dragon, with eyes that glowed in the darkness, quicker than the human eye could see, and with what Tuff described as a “literal skull for a head”, Hiccup took the story with a grain of salt, even with the supposed ‘proof’ present on Tuff’s arm.

After all, there were plenty of creatures that roamed the woods of the Edge, dragons and boars, and Tuffnut, with his overactive imagination, could have easily mistaken any of them for some mythical dragon. Hiccup was hoping someone else would be able to knock some sense into the twin, stop his panicking before it began and reassure Tuff of his own safety on the Edge, preferably the one adult who was currently visiting them.

Gobber didn’t help though, with his only offered explanation for the bite being a story about a little red-haired boy who turned into a dragon, a  _ Lycanwing _ . A dragon that was nothing but a legend no matter what Snotlout tried to trick Tuff into believing, with made up symptoms and ominous smiles.

And unfortunately for them, Tuff  _ was  _ fully convinced, giving away his possessions like this was some sort of funeral, wishing them farewell, and locking himself away in one of their makeshift wooden cells with Chicken, in the stables. Snotlout thought the whole thing was  _ hilarious _ , but Ruffnut was furious, vowing that he’d help her fix this, and Gobber wisely chose to leave them that night, sensing approaching teenage drama.

Hiccup watched the blacksmith’s ship leave, a black spot on the dark waters, illuminated by the pale light shining down from the almost full moon above them.

It was just him and Fishlegs in the meeting room, Fishlegs still pouring over the book of dragons and his notes, searching for some information on Lycanwings that he might have missed, while Hiccup fiddled with the Dragon Eye, checking every combination.

He still didn’t really believe any of it, all this talk of boys becoming beasts, of stolen chickens every full moon and screams in the woods that were eventually silenced, but he was willing to humor Fishlegs, and he also knew they’d need definitive proof to convince Tuff that he was being crazy.

“There’s nothing here.” Fishlegs sighed, turning another page in the old tome. “And I’ve checked everything this time, I’m sure of it.” 

Hiccup huffed in exasperation as he shifted another dial, grimacing. “Same here.” He put the Dragon Eye down on the table beside him, ready to announce that he was finally giving up and going to bed, leaving the whole Lycanwing dilemma for future Hiccup, or preferably never.

But then he saw a light from the corner of his eye, pale and white, shining out of the Dragon eye. Looking out the still open door, he realized it was coming from the moon itself, the moonlight reflecting onto the table and consequently, into the Dragon Eye as well.. “Wait. Hold on. I think I got it.”

And he ushered Toothless over, requested him to open his mouth and release his own little burst of flame, and watched as the purple fire combined with the moonlight, projecting an image onto the wall.

“Shit.” Said Hiccup, eloquently, after a shocked moment of silence spent staring up at the violet images they’d managed to project, one of a Man with a skull for a head and wings instead of arms, and another where that same man had a tail as well, appearance more beastlike than viking. 

There were runes as well, a written warning, that Fishlegs managed to translate, to repeat out loud, voice tense. ‘ _ No man shall tread on these shores, lest he become what he most fears _ .’

As soon as he finished his translation, Fishlegs paled, murmuring a little “ _ oh no” _ under his breath. Hiccup was inclined to agree with his quiet assessment of the situation, noting the fact that the island in question,  _ Lycanwing island,  _ was located a few hours' flight away. Gods, because there was apparently an island. Because apparently this dragon wasn’t just a legend. It was  _ real _ . A living, breathing dragon, that his friend might actually be becoming.

He and Fishlegs exchanged worried looks, and Hiccup smiled grimly. “We might need to pay that island a visit. And  _ soon _ .”

Fishlegs’ expression managed to pale even further at the idea of willingly visiting an island full of bloodthirsty dragons that could infect you with nothing but a bite, but despite his panicked complaints along the way, he still followed Hiccup to the stables, where Tuff was still curled up in one of the cells, Chicken clutched tightly in his arms, fast asleep.

They were quick and quiet, careful not to disturb the sleeping Barf and Belch lying in the middle of the stable that had chosen to remain out of his pen for the night, as to better keep on eye on his rider, grabbing their supplies and Meatlug, and taking the time to leave a note for Astrid, since Hiccup knew she’d probably end up killing herself or someone else with worry otherwise.

And with all that settled, they took off into the darkness, flying under the light of the same moon that’d been a comforting presence only a few hours earlier, but now just felt like a countdown towards Tuffnut’s possibly fast approaching transformation into a monster.

***

When Tuffnut awoke on the floor of the non-destroyed cell, alone and clearly human, his first thought was one of relief. Sure, he hadn’t  _ really _ believed Snotlout’s story about the supposed Lycanwing symptoms he might have been exhibiting, but it was still nice to have confirmation.

He stayed lying down on the wooden floor, just soaking in the morning light, and the joy of being human. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, hard and cold on his aching limbs, but last night, it’d seemed like the most logical decision. No point in sleeping in a bed if he was likely to tear it to shreds in the night, and he’d doubted a dragon version of him would particularly care where he slept.

The rays of sunlight were warm on his back, and he didn’t need to open his eyes to know he was bathing in it. Then he felt a movement at his backside. Oh yeah, Chicken was here too.

That probably hadn’t been one of his smartest decisions, trapping an innocent bird alone with what would possibly soon be a bloodthirsty dragon, but he’d been far too focused on hamming his fear up for his fellow riders to consider important details like that. He reached out a hand behind him to pet her in greeting, eyes still closed, smothering a yawn.

Then he froze, as his hand landed on something that was definitely  _ not  _ Chicken.

Instead, his hand was touching Something scaly where Chicken was soft, smooth skin instead of feathers. Something that writhed under his fingers, definitely  _ alive _ .

He shrieked in the manliest way possible, and there was a rumble from the other side of the room, outside his cage, as Barf and Belch were woken by the sound of his scream, but he ignored them in favor of spinning around, hand instantly releasing the creature, and leaping to his feet, eyes blinking rapidly as he opened them to bright light where there’d been darkness a second ago.

He spun around again, searching his cell for the intruder. But there was no one but Chicken, who was watching him in confusion, cocking her head and clucking. Had he only imagined the creature, in his half-awake state?

But no! He saw something out of the corner of his eye, green and red scales. A terrible terror? Barf and Belch? He stopped his spinning immediately, shaking off the dizziness, and stood very still, watching the thing sway slowly in the corner of his vision, a green blur.

Then he pounced.

But it slid out of his grip easily as he spun around to catch it, swearing, and he tried again, back to spinning in a circle, determined to catch the mischievous draconic intruder red handed. Red Clawed? Green clawed? Whatever worked.

AHA! Finally, finally, he managed to land a solid grip on it, grabbing it one handed, and he lifted it into view, ready to rant at whatever dragon was daring enough to try and sneak up on a  _ Nut _ .

Then he froze again, as he processed what he was holding.

It was…. a  _ tail _ ? It was green, just as he’d thought, definitely a scaly dragon’s tail, with red patches of scales adorning it, along with brownish red spikes that trailed down it’s length, not too sharp. But what dragon did it belong to? Slowly, he moved his hand down the tail, tracing the scales back to their source.

His hand landed on his own backside.

He shrieked again, perhaps a little less manly this time.  _ Oh Thor oh Thor oh Thor _ —He had a  _ tail.  _ Then he froze for the third time that morning, trembling, as the terrifying reality of that statement hit him.  _ Oh Thor.  _ He had a  _ tail _ **_._ **

Which could only mean one thing.

Tuffnut was turning into a  _ Lycanwing. _

***

Unfortunately, he wasn’t given much time to fully process this horrifying concept, because suddenly, the door to the stables was lifted open, and in walked Snotlout.

Tuff’s first thought was one of  _ ow _ ,  _ sunlight hurts, turn off the sun please _ . He could almost feel his pupils shrinking in discomfort, begging him to close his eyes. 

Second, despite his growing panic, Tuff immediately knew there was something off about his friend. Snotlout was a pretty confident guy, he liked to swagger into a room, proud of his presence. But no, he wasn’t swaggering now. He was slinking in, like some sort of common thief, nervously glancing behind him like he expected Loki himself to appear in his shadow.

Tuff was  _ not  _ reassured by his entrance. He was still far too busy trying to come to terms with his own humanity, and he did not need company to help him with that, thank you very much. He instinctively dropped his tail immediately, hands out in front of him in the most non suspicious way he could manage.

Snotlout was still looking out the door, expression nervous, before he seemed satisfied enough of his own safety to close it behind him. Instantly, his expression shifted back to the annoyed frown Tuff was used to. Though he noticed another oddity, Snotlout’s arms were red and sore, covered in a variety of bite marks, which was definitely another new addition.

“Your sister…” Snotlout grit his teeth, “Is insane.” He held out his injured arms for Tuff to clearly see, marching closer to his cell, something Tuff would have rathered he didn’t attempt. “She’s been dragging me through the woods all night, forcing a bunch of dragons to bite me! Just to prove you weren’t  _ actually  _ bitten by a Lycanwing!”

“Ha ha.” Said Tuff as casually as he could manage, ignoring the twist in his gut that he’d come to associate as guilt. “Classic Ruffnut.”

Snotlout had looked ready to rant further, but he paused at those words, stopping his complaining to give Tuff a proper ‘ _ uh what gives? _ ’ look, complete with raised eyebrows and everything.

Shit. His genius deception hadn’t been enough to fool him. He had to change the subject, say something, anything, before Snotlout got suspicious! Ah quick-

But before he could think of a clever distraction, there was movement from behind Tuff. His treacherous tail, sensing his growing anxiety, swished urgently behind him. That was absolutely the worst distraction possible, abort abort—

Snotlout squinted his eyes, brow furrowed. “Wait. Is that…?”

“Yes. It is. Chicken, that is. Her.” He babbled, smiling wide. If he’d been currently able to leave the room, he certainly would, before this bad scenario could get any worse. But unfortunately, being trapped in a cell had its occasional downsides. Oblivious to Tuff’s inner panic, Snotlout sucked in a breath, eyes widening. He took a step back.

“It’s a  _ tail _ .”

And unfortunately for Tuff, Snotlout wasn’t exactly wrong. The tail,  _ his  _ tail, poked out from under his shirt, curling around his leg as if recognizing its own mistake. “You  _ are _ turning into a Lycanwing.” Snotlout whispered, face pale, jaw slack with disbelief. He took another step backwards, glancing back towards the exit, and opened his mouth as if to cry out for help.

“Woah Woah woah!!” Tuff stammered, reaching out through the bars, as if he’d somehow be able to stop Snotlout from escaping. “No I’m not!”

Snotlout pointed accusingly at the cause of his fear. “Tuff that is a literal  _ tail  _ sticking out of your backside! How else do you explain it?!”

Tuff winced, leaning forwards on the wooden bars. “Shared hallucination?”

Snotlout crossed his arms, and looked ready to leave at the smallest wrong step. “Ha ha, very funny. We have to tell the others. Ruff has been worried, she needs to know—”

Instantly, any illusion of relaxed posture vanished as Tuff bristled. “No way are you telling them anything! And especially not my sis! I don’t want her freaking out on me!”

Snotlout stared at him in disbelief for a second, before he managed to splutter, “Freaking out?  _ Freaking out _ ?! You think she isn’t already freaking out??? LOOK AT ME!!” He waved his bite covered arms, which were still dripping out blood. “She’s  _ desperate _ to prove that Lycanwings aren’t real!!”

“Exactly!! If she finds out I really am,” he clutched the front of his shirt dramatically, “turning into a savage  _ beast _ , she’ll lose her mind!” He turned his back to Snotlout, clenching his fists as his tail swished behind him, jolted by the sudden movement. “No. It’s much smarter, and safer might I add, to hide the symptoms.”

He couldn’t see Snotlout’s expression from his new position, a small disadvantage, or advantage, as Astrid might have joked. But he was sure his expression was some variation of unimpressed. “And what’s the plan for when you go full dragon on us? Die?”

Tuffnut bit his lip. “I’m still working on that part.” He admitted, “But I’ll figure something out. Eventually.”

Snotlout huffed, audibly rolling his eyes. “Yeah, cause that’s so reassuring.”

Tuff opened his mouth to argue back, but at that moment, there was the sound of footsteps from outside the stable. Footsteps that sounded uncomfortably like those of his sister. Immediately, he could tell that Snotlout had recognized the sound as well, and they exchanged a wide-eyed panicked stare off. 

“Distract her! Quick! She can’t see me like this!” Tuff hissed, hands on the bars.

“You’re crazy!” Snotlout hissed back, significantly less quietly. He still didn’t look convinced, and Tuff had a bad feeling that he was about to turn around and tell Ruff  _ everything _ . Fine…it was time to pull out his ace.

“ _ Please. _ ” He begged.

There was a moment of silence, where Snotlout just glared at him, as Tuff did his best not to cave under the quiet pressure, keeping his eyes wide and his lip trembling. Then, just as he was about to call it quits, Snotlout broke eye contact, mouth twisted in displeasure.

“I hate you.” He growled, pointing at Tuff accusingly, before turning on his heel and marching towards the exit. “You better have a plan when I come back!”

And he opened the door to the stables, forcing Tuff to squint at the sudden painful sunlight, before he closed the door just as quickly behind him, seemingly just in time to intercept Ruff’s entrance.

He could hear a muffled argument between Snotlout and his sister, where she demanded to see Tuff, and Snotlout explained that he’d checked all the bites, and none of them had matched, so did that mean he was done now? A request which she immediately denied, dragging him off back into the woods, immune to Snotlout’s loud whined complaints all the while.

Wow, apparently Snotlout was a better liar than he’d thought. Maybe...he owed him one.  _ Maybe _ .

Tuff sat down on the floor of his cell, crossing his legs, and batted his tail away from his field of vision. He hated looking at it, at the reminder of his new lack of humanity. He sighed. Okay. Now he was alone again, thanks to his quick thinking and mouth,  _ thanks mouth _ , but now he needed an actual plan.

Sure, he’d sounded confident with Snotlout, like he’d already had a plan brewing, something smart and clever, but honestly, he had nothing. He stroked his chin in thought, frowning. His tail, against his permission, swung back into view, and he hit it again.

It was weird,  _ so _ weird. Did he just have a tail now? Was he always going to have a tail? Then his stomach dropped as he was hit with a much bigger problem.  _ Was he going to turn into a dragon forever??  _ Was the transformation irreversible?? Gobber had certainly made it sound like that, and the idea was terrifying.

Sure, dragons were cool and all, and yeah, he’d fantasized about turning into one at one point or another, (who hadn’t?), but those fantasies always involved him being fully conscious, and still, well,  _ Tuffnut _ . Would he still have his human brain as a dragon? Or would he just become a bloodthirsty dragon that didn’t recognize any of his friends, not even his sister? Would he hurt them? … _ Kill _ them?

He shuddered at the thought.

No. He couldn’t stay here. The bars of his cage were sturdy, sure, but they were made from wood. Far from the most dragon proof material. And he definitely didn’t want to trap a giant fire breathing dragon with a bunch of small, defenseless humans, even if they weren’t technically defenseless, since they did have dragons of their own—

But  _ oh Thor _ , what if Tuff hurt their  _ dragons _ instead? What if, in some misguided attempt to protect himself, he hurt Barf and Belch? The dragon in question gave an especially loud snore at that, as if they somehow knew what he was thinking, and Tuff grit his teeth.

  1. No. He had to leave. And soon. The full moon hadn’t transformed him, not fully, and Tuff wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe the transformation was gradual, or maybe the moon simply hadn’t been full enough the night before. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t keen on sticking around his fragile friends, his _family_ , long enough to find out.



So he needed to leave. But where? If,  _ when _ , he turned into a dragon, he’d have wings, right? So he could just fly away from the edge, easy peasy. But he didn’t know how his weird dragon instincts would work. Would he prioritize leaving the island, or feeding on the flesh of his friends? There was no way to know for sure.

All Tuff could do was get as far away as physically possible, and hope to the gods that it was far enough. He’d need to head for the woods, but quickly, before night fell, or the moon rose high in the sky.

Then his tail stopped moving completely as another possible solution hit him.

He could just prevent himself from becoming a dragon in the first place! The transformation wouldn’t work if he was  _ dead _ , right? All he had to do was run himself through with a sword before the moon rose, or jump off a cliff! (There were plenty of those around, thanks to them living on a literal island.)

But honestly, despite all his jokes that implied the contrary, despite how selfish it might have been, Tuff wasn’t really a big fan of dying. Sure, Valhalla was cool and all, but he’d been planning on going there with his sister,  _ together _ , after going out in some big blaze of glory. Not from some dumb moon induced suicide.

So that plan would have to sit on the backburner for now, a last-minute solution that he’d only pull out if things got  _ really  _ bad. For now, he decided, he’d wait for the sun to begin setting, for Snotlout to return so he could explain his plan, before fleeing under the cover of darkness. Then all he needed to do was run as fast and as far as possible, through the woods, to one of the cliffs at the end of the island. Then he’d figure out what to do from there, no matter what that meant for him.

For now, he adjusted his seating position so he was leaning against the bars, tail curling around his leg, and pulled Chicken back into his lap.

For now…he’d wait.

***

When Hiccup and Fishlegs finally arrived on the supposed ‘Lycanwing island’, after a long, tense flight, it was morning, rosy dawn peeking out from behind the clouds.

The island itself was barren, nothing but cragged cliffs and a single cave entrance, dark and foreboding. In fact, they were pretty sure they’d found the wrong place. It was hard to imagine anyone living on this rocky Hel, much less an entire species of carnivorous dragons.

Still, exchanging uneasy looks, they entered the cave, their dragons following close behind helping to light the way. The cave was deeper than it looked, stalactites hanging down above them, and it only got darker as they went, torches and dragon fire the only things left to glow in the darkness.

It felt like they’d been walking for hours, path dipping slowly under them, but there was no real way to tell with the lack of daylight. But despite how far they travelled, the cave stayed ominously silent, nothing but the sound of their own descent echoed back from the cavern’s walls, and the crackling of their torches. There were no signs of life, draconic or human, no claw marks or footprints to follow.

There were other, smaller paths, that mapped off into gods know where, but they were equally silent and seemingly just as empty, so they chose to stay on the biggest path, where the cavern walls were high enough to fit all of their dragons, and then some.

Hiccup was beginning to lose hope, starting to consider just turning back and calling it a day, when he heard it. A low, rumbling growl.

It was hard to tell where it came from, what with the darkness and the echoing walls, but if he didn’t know better, he would have said it came from behind them. Then there was the sound of another growl. And another. One, two, three,  _ too many dragons _ , by the sound of it. And all too close for comfort.

“Hiccup.” Fishlegs swallowed nervously. “We should go. I don’t think they want visitors.”

Hiccup knew he was right, knew it was a warning, but he also knew there was no way they could turn back now. Not when they were so close to finding out the truth about Lycanwings, the truth about Tuffnut.

Toothless curled his lip back, growling lowly in return, mouth filling with flames, but Hiccup put his hand on his partner’s head, comforting. Instantly, Toothless stopped but whined low in his throat in concern. Hiccup just pursed his lips, staring out into the pitch darkness. He could barely see two feet in front of them, even with the torches.

“We need to  _ try _ , Fish. For Tuff’s sake.”

Fishlegs didn’t look happy with his decision, expression troubled, but his eyes seemed to brighten as he remembered why they were here in the first place. “You’re right. Lead the way, Hiccup.”

Hiccup smiled at him tiredly, thankful for his support, and they kept going. Or at least, they tried to. It only took them a few more steps before the growling picked up in both noise and number, vibrations so loud Hiccup could practically feel them in the air. Clearly, the residents of this cave were keenly aware of their presence, and they were  _ not  _ happy about it.

And yet, they were still able to keep going. One foot in front of the other, even as the cave deepened and darkened further, something Hiccup would have thought impossible, and even as the air grew heavy, and the growling became a constant background noise, almost a thrum. Even then, they still kept walking, filled with determination.

Until suddenly, they heard a voice in the darkness. A  _ human _ voice.

“Who goes there?”

Both Hiccup and Fishlegs froze at the noise, both equally unprepared for the question, but Hiccup was the first to work up the bravado to respond, voice deliberately calm. Well, as calm as he could make it, given the current circumstances.

“My name is Hiccup Haddock the third. This,” he gestured to Fishlegs, a motion that probably went unseen by their mysterious questioner. “Is Fishlegs Ingerman. And these,” he motioned again, a sweep of his arm, to show Toothless and Meatlug. “These are our dragons. We’re dragon riders.”

The voice scoffs.

“Dragon riders? And why have you come to this island? How did you learn of it?”

“We have a tool.” Hiccup explained, honestly. He had a feeling that the mystery voice probably wasn’t very keen on lying, no matter the reason behind it, and he doubted he’d even be able to muster up a good lie at the moment. “We call it the Dragon Eye. It showed us a map to this island, told us it was the home of the…Lycanwings.”

There was a long, tense pause.

They could hear the sound of movement all around them, of claws scraping against stone, and heavy breathing. It was intimidating, to say the least, and Hiccup had to resist the urge to draw his weapon, knowing it would do nothing but complicate things further.

Finally, the voice spoke again, low and threatening.

“But  _ why _ are you here?”

“Our friend was bitten.” Fishlegs called out, voice filled with a certainty Hiccup had a feeling he was fronting. Though it was also very possible it was real, nothing was quicker to give Fishlegs confidence than a mission to save a friend. “We think...we think it was a Lycanwing that did it.”

“We’re here to help him,” Hiccup continued, voice urgent. “We mean you no harm. We just want to talk!”

There was another pause, and they both held their breaths. Eventually, there was a sigh.

“Fine then. I’ll lead you to our home. But if you’re lying…”

Then the voice made a noise that was decidedly less human. And suddenly, the cave was ablaze with light.

At first, all Hiccup could see was purple. He shielded his face, blinking the light out of his eyes. Then he lowered his arm, and sucked in a breath. Beside him, Fishlegs gasped in surprise, and both Toothless and Meatlug stepped closer to their sides to better guard their backs. And Hiccup couldn’t exactly blame them.

Because the four of them were completely surrounded by dragons.

And not familiar ones, either. No, these dragons were a variety of colors and sizes, some almost as tall as the ceiling, and some the same size as Toothless, with scales that shone blue, red, green and purple. All the colors of the rainbow were laid out before them, in draconic form.

Their only shared traits were the violet flames alight in their maws, and the jaws that contained them. For instead of heads, they had skulls, with sockets for eyes that glowed in the dark. Even their horns varied, some with long horns that curled at the ends, some with horns not unlike a crown, or horns as small and as sharp as daggers.

Hiccup had no doubt to what they all were.

_ Lycanwings _ .

Then Hiccup noticed another figure, standing in the back of the dragons that surrounded them, deeper in the cavern. He was hard to spot at first, short next to the dragons he stood beside, as if he was their equal, and without a torch he practically faded into the shadows. But once Hiccup had noticed him, he couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

He was sure this was the voice that had spoken to them.

The man’s features were hard to identify at first, but as he stepped closer into the light, Hiccup was able to make them out. The first thing to catch his eye was the man’s shock of bright red hair, a mullet, that was practically glowing in the firelight.

His eyes were bright, freckles splattered across his face, but Hiccup was far more preoccupied by the scars that painted his body, head to toe. Two on his face, one curling into his lip, and the other a half moon on his right cheek. His neck was half scar tissue, deep gouges, and his arms were laced with scars like stripes. He was wearing nothing but a tattered vest, and his chest was gouged with claw marks and burns, a grisly sight.

But even with all those scars, he didn’t look that old, certainly younger than Hiccup’s own father, who he knew had fought in countless battles, against vikings and dragons alike, and still managed to be far less scarred than this stranger..

The man noticed Hiccup’s staring, and grinned at him toothily, teeth sharp and uneven. His eyes swept over them keenly as he spread his arms wide, showing off the dragons that were watching their every move, ready to fire whenever. He laughed, sharp and threatening.

“Well, if you’re lying, I’ll  _ kill _ you  _ myself _ _!_ ”

***

Even after all that effort to get left alone, Tuff was quick to remember why he never left his sister’s side. Being alone was  _ boring _ , even with Chicken’s excellent conversational skills, and being trapped in a cell didn’t do much for entertainment.

Sure, Barf and Belch had taken to napping in the middle of the stables, unmoving from the previous night, since apparently Ruff had been flying Hookfang instead, and they didn’t want to get him out of his sight, but they weren't doing anything  _ interesting _ . That was why, as soon as Tuff heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching, he perked up, eager to talk to  _ someone _ .

Even if those someones were an annoyed and heavily injured Snotlout and an upset, overly concerned Ruffnut. And even if he was keeping a ridiculously dangerous secret from one of those someones! As long as the whole ‘I’m turning into a Lycanwing thing’ stayed a secret, everything would be fine!

So, thinking fast, he stuffed his tail into the back of his pants, out of sight, out of mind. Behind him, Chicken clucked knowfully, and he put a finger to his lips, with a whispered “It’s got to stay a secret!”

Unfortunately, Ruff and Snotlout chose that moment to enter the stables, to the sight of him shushing the poultry, and Ruff winced. “Okay…” she said, in a tone that implied she was judging him, and that he was being a little too weird, even for her tastes. But he was turning into a literal dragon, so he was probably allowed to be a little extra weird.

And speaking of dragons transforming, he could already feel the symptoms Gobber had described the night before starting to act up.

The daylight that shone in from behind Ruff and Snotlout was practically blinding, almost painful, and Tuff attempted to squint as subtly as possible, which probably made him look even crazier. His throat ached too, despite his lack of speaking all day, and he wished he had some water to quench it.

Thankfully, Ruff was too busy elbowing an injured Snotlout to notice how odd Tuff was acting, even odder than usual.

At her command, Snotlout held out his arm through the bars to compare, and Tuff couldn’t resist a whistle at the sight of it. It was covered with an impressive variety of bites, Gronkle, Terrible Terror, Nadder….honestly, an excellent collection. But sadly, Tuff already knew his own bite wouldn’t be one of them. Unless his sister had somehow managed to get Snotlout bitten by another Lycanwing, which would be a whole other problem entirely.

Still, Tuff knew better than to argue with Ruff when she was like this, and so he simply held out his bitten arm for inspection with minimal protesting.

After a quick look over, she reluctantly concluded that they hadn’t found the source of the bite yet. Even though both him and Snotlout already knew the truth. They exchanged a look, Snotlout giving a subtle head tilt in Ruff’s direction, grimacing.

Tuff grinned back at him, which made Snotlout’s eyes narrow, even as Tuff turned to his sister, channeling all the confidence he didn’t currently have to make his voice sound light and casual. The opposite of suspicious. “Hey sis…could I talk with Snotman here alone for a sec?”

It was a clear sign that Snotlout was serious that he barely blinked at the annoying nickname.

Ruff raised her eyebrows, expression heavily skeptical. She glanced between him and Snotlout, trying to translate their expressions into explanations, waiting for someone to crack and tell her. When both of them stayed strong though, she finally asked, voice practically soaking with suspicion. “ _ Why _ ?”

Oh Thor, why did she have to be the smart sibling?

“Uh-” he started, nervously.

“I want to talk to him about the Lycanwing thing!” Snotlout blurted out.

Ruffnut whirled on him, her suspicious frown immediately shifting to one of pure irritation. “You’ll-”

“Talk some sense into him!” Snotlout interrupted hastily, sensing an approaching rant. “Tell him it was just a joke! I just think I’ll get through to him more if you’re not…breathing down my neck.” It was impressively convincing for a lie made up on the spot, and if Tuff wasn’t busy trying to participate in said lie, he would have high fived Snotlout for it.

Instead he shifted his expression to the most innocent he could manage, eyes big, biting his lip.

“Please, sis?”

“Urg.” She groaned. “Fine.” She pointed at Snotlout harshly, practically jabbing him in the side. “But I’ll be waiting outside. We’re moving onto the Monstrous Nightmare next.” Snotlout couldn’t repress his whimper at that threatening promise.

And with that, she stormed off, unfortunately choosing not to close the door behind her, keeping the stables and his makeshift prison cell as bright and painful as ever. But at least they were basically alone now, so mission accomplished.

Immediately, Tuff dropped his pity-me face. “So, what’s up?”

Snotlout grit his teeth. “You know what’s  _ up _ , Tuff. What are we  _ doing _ ?”

Tuff leaned against the bars, faux casual. “Uh, lying to my sis. Obviously?”

Snotlout slapped him lightly through the bars. “Ow!” Tuff whined. It didn’t actually hurt that much, but he needed to have some fun where it counted.

“No,  _ idiot _ .” Snotlout hissed angrily, “What’s the  _ plan _ ? Do you even have one yet? Or am I lying to your terrifying sister and getting bitten by a bunch of jerk dragons for  _ nothing! _ ?”

Tuff puffed up his chest, waggling his eyebrows at Snotlout, who was sadly, not amused. “Oh ye of little faith! I do, in fact, have a plan!”

Snotlout crossed his arms, unconvinced. “Oh yeah? Then what is it, oh genius one?”

“I’m going to run away!”

Snotlout laughed long and hard at that, wiping away a tear as he chuckled. “Alright, good one Tuff. Now what’s your actual plan?” Tuff didn’t bother to answer him, just looked at him meaningfully, lips pursed. It took Snotlout a few seconds to process what that meant. As soon as he did, his face went red. “That’s your genius plan???? That’s a horrible plan!!”

“No it’s not!” Tuff protested, “You guys will be safe, and I’ll be far away from everyone! No problems!”

Snotlout scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Uh huh. And what if you burn the forest down? What if Ruff goes looking for you? Then what??”

Tuff winced at the thought. He could picture it far too clearly, the edge completely ablaze, and Ruff, foolish Ruff, attempting to negotiate with a murderous dragon.  _ She’d get torn apart _ . Then he shook his head, shaking the horrible images out of his brain.

“Those won’t happen! I’ll have no reason to burn anything if no one comes looking for me! And you can help me make sure it won’t happen!”

“I….” Snotlout paused, frowning warily. “How?”

“By not telling my sis about me. Just distract her,” he pointed at the wall of curtain beside him, that’d be ridiculously easy to slip under. “And I’ll sneak off when it gets dark!”

“So what, am I supposed to just distract her all night?” Snotlout asked sarcastically.

Tuff stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe?” Finally he nodded, “Yeah, you probably should.”

“Tuff, that was a  _ joke _ , that’s literally impossible—”

But before he could argue further, there was a yell from just outside the stables. “Hurry up Snot!!!” Ah yes, speak of the devil. “The longer you take, the more dragons I’m making bite you!” Ruff threatened.

Snotlout shot Tuff a wide-eyed look of desperation, but Tuff just shrugged, unsympathetic. “You figure it out!” Snotlout raised his hand to slap him again, so Tuff quickly continued. “Just follow the plan! Everything will be fine!!”

He gave Snotlout a big grin, hoping it came off as reassuring. From the way Snotlout glared at him as he backed away from his cell, it probably didn’t.

“I hate this plan.” He muttered, turning away from Tuff.

“Thanks Snot!!” Tuff called out from behind him, waving at the back of his head. “Love you too!”

Snotlout muttered insults under his breath as he stalked his way towards the exit.

“And remember to close the door behind you, please!!”

***

The stranger didn’t speak further as he led them deeper underground, towards the supposed home of the Lycanwings. They tried speaking up, once or twice, to voice their questions and concerns, but every time they opened their mouths to speak, the Lycanwings that stalked by their sides would growl in warning, and they’d give up. Awkward silence was far easier to manage than getting brutally murdered by dragons, after all.

At least the cave was less dark with so many dragons beside them, whose occasional chuffs of purple flame helped to illuminate the passage just a little. Hiccup had wondered why the stranger wasn’t carrying a torch, but the answer seemed to be that he just didn’t need one. He walked with easy agility, as if the ground was perfectly smooth and lit beneath him. Hiccup and Fishlegs, on the other hand, were constantly stumbling over rocks, and even with their torches, the dragons seemed to fade away into the shadows, with only their ever present glowing eyes to stop Hiccup from believing they’d left his side.

But finally, after what felt like forever, the walls of the passage widened, slowly, then all at once, and they emerged into a much bigger cavern.

It was wide enough to make the path they’d been taking feel cramped, at least as big as the dining hall back in Berk. And not only was this cavern bigger, it was also brighter, thanks to a hole in the ceiling that shined daylight down. He peered up at it as they entered the room, noticing that unlike the Whispering death holes that had once plagued their village, it wasn’t a straight tunnel up to the surface. Instead, it seemed to twist and turn, the light only an echo from the sun itself. Enough light to make the room actually visible, but not enough to make it feel like it wasn’t still night outside.

The light did suffice to illuminate the walls of the cave, walls that were absolutely covered in holes. But these were smaller, shallower, and didn’t seem to split off into actual passages. Instead, they reminded Hiccup more of…homes.

At their arrival, more Lycanwings emerged from the holes, confirming Hiccup’s theory, but they weren’t the only ones. There were  _ Vikings _ too, more than Hiccup had expected, all their eyes glued to the newcomers. The humans whispered among themselves, and the Dragons grumbled and growled, but no one made any sort of attempt to attack them yet, so Hiccup took it as a good sign.

The stranger took no notice of the badly muffled murmurs, leading them to the center of the room, where Hiccup saw a huge stone that seemed to have its underside almost completely melted away, giving it the appearance of a round table. There were smaller stones surrounding it, and the stranger sat on the biggest stone, which lay on the opposite end of the table from where the dragon riders were standing. The stranger gestured for him and Fishlegs to join him, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

And so they sat.

Up close, and with the light shining down upon him, the man’s features were easier to identify. Hiccup was pretty sure his eyes were green, and up close, his short hair reminded him uncomfortably of Dagur. He wondered vaguely if the man was a Berserker as well. But the man’s most identifiable feature remained his scars, which managed to look even more painful in better lighting. Especially the scar on his neck, which was eerily similar to Tuff’s newly acquired bitemark, only far more violent. As if whatever dragon had been the cause of it had ripped and torn instead of simply bitten.

Still, Hiccup did his best to keep his eyes off the scars, knowing from experience how tiring it was to ignore.

Finally, the man spoke to them, smiling darkly. Even without grinning, his teeth poked out of his lip a little, sharp and jagged. “My name….is Kessler.”

Hiccup’s heart skipped a beat, and Fishlegs couldn’t resist a gasp, eyes wide.

“From the  _ story _ ?”

At this, Kessler did grin, and his teeth glinted in the firelight, a carnivore’s set. “The one and only.”

Hiccup looked him up and down, at his scars, at his too sharp teeth, and when he spoke, he did his best to keep his tone carefully light.

“Then that means you’re a…--”

“Lycanwing?” Kessler tilted his head, grin ever-present. “That I am. One of the lucky ones.”

Hiccup could feel a knot in his chest, tightening, a warning not to speak, not to ask the obvious question, for fear of what the answer might be. But he’d never been one to let his fear stifle his creativity, and he wasn’t about to start now. “Lucky ones?” he echoed.

Kessler’s smile seemed to tighten, as if he’d been expecting the question, but still didn’t enjoy answering it. He gestured to the crowd that surrounded them, the majority dragons, with pale skulls and sockets that gleamed, but as Hiccup had noticed earlier, there were Vikings too.

But now that Hiccup looked closer, he realized the Vikings looked strange too. He could see scales that trickled down bare necks and arms, pupils that were too thin, practically slits, and even the occasional tail. He sucked in a breath at the realization. There were no humans here.

Only Lycanwings.

“A Lycanwing transformation is a painful thing.” Kessler sighed, continuing on as if he hadn’t noticed Hiccup’s dawning expression of shock. “And a difficult one to survive, physically or mentally. Any Viking who isn’t strongly attached to the world of humans, who has nothing to lose, often ends up losing their humanity entirely. Doomed to stay in their draconic form forever.”

Neither Hiccup or Fishlegs took that realization quietly, speaking over each other in their worried confusion.

“But that wasn’t part of the story!”

“I thought it was supposed to be a monthly transformation??”

Kessler sneered, lip curling. “Oh  _ is _ it?” His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. “And I’m sure two  _ teenagers _ are  _ much _ more knowledgeable about the inner workings of Lycanwings than me, an  _ actual Lycanwing _ .”

Hiccup winced. “Okay, you’ve got me there.”

Beside him, Fishlegs frowned in thought. “But then, why are  _ you _ still human?”

Kessler turned his eyes on him, smile dropping, and immediately Fishlegs backtracked. “A-Actually, you don’t have to answer—”

But Kessler’s grin was already back, though his narrowed eyes told a different story. “No, no, by all means. I’ll answer.” He put a hand to the scar on his neck, expression darkening.  _ Oh, so that’s what the gouges were. _

“Well, let’s just say, spite is a  _ very _ powerful motivator.” He grit his teeth, staring not at them, but through them, like he was reliving the bite once again. “They left me to  _ die  _ in those woods. Now they’ll have to deal with me until the day I do die.” His hand squeezed the scar, sharpened nails digging into the raw flesh. “And if I have my way, that won’t be for a  _ long _ time.”

Hiccup would have loved to argue over the morality of that promise, but he knew they didn’t have the time. Lycanwings were real, this nest, this conversation, this man, were all proof of that. And that meant that Tuffnut probably really was turning into a Lycanwing.

It meant they were running out of time.

***

Snotlout grimaced, watching the sky shift from a deep blue to a purplish pink.

The sun was setting over the ocean, disappearing into the horizon, and honestly, it was a beautiful sight. There was barely a cloud in the sky, allowing the varying shades to be more clearly admired, the ocean glittering in the last burst of sunlight. If he looked even further up, he knew he’d be able to see the stars emerging, fading into view now that the sky was dark enough to support them. And somewhere in that darkening sky, a full moon was rising.

At this point, Tuffnut must have already escaped his makeshift cell, and ran off into the woods. Disappearing amongst those tall trees that blocked out all light, sun or moon, into the woods where dragons and wild beasts lurked.

Snotlout’s arms throbbed at the reminder of his injuries, and he winced, rubbing down the bites that had multiplied as the day went on. At this point, his skin was a tapestry of bruises and bites, purple and red, with barely any visible skin left under the injuries. It  _ hurt _ , it hurt a lot, in fact, but no worse than the pain in his chest that came from the knowledge that Ruff was doing all this for nothing, blissfully unaware of the truth behind Tuff’s bite.

Well,  _ blissful _ was a strong word. She’d been stressed all day, snapping at him on various occasions at the slightest provocation, but honestly, he couldn’t really blame her. Her plan was  _ dumb, _ sure, painful as well, but he understood the desperate urge to do anything to save someone you cared about. Not that he’d ever admit it out loud, though.

But still, as he watched the sun set, he couldn’t resist glancing over at the viking in question. It was only him, Ruffnut and Hookfang on the beach after all, Hookfang just watching all the chaos going on without bothering to intervene, reptilian eyes gleaming. He probably thought this whole ordeal was funny somehow, like the jerk partner he was. No, Snotlout just ignored him, focusing his attention on Ruff.

She was bathed in the fading daylight, figure tinted a purplish red, crouching down to search for a sea slug, her next attempted source of the bite. Her blonde hair was filled with twigs from the day and night they’d spent searching the woods, and there was dried dirt encrusted on her fingers, under her nails. She looked _ tired _ .

Not only that, she was running out of ideas. Tuff had obviously gotten bitten in the woods, not on a beach, so a sea slug being the cause of it was completely out of question. But he knew voicing that opinion would give him a glare at best, and a punch at worst, so he stayed quiet.

The sky was even darker now, light fading quickly, and the moon was starting to rise, slowly but steadily. Snotlout swallowed his guilt, a lump in his throat. Ruff was out here, rummaging in the sand for no good reason, while somewhere out there, her brother was hurting. He shot a look out at the woods, as if he’d somehow be able to spot Tuff among the trees, tail swishing behind him.  _ Alone _ .

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Gods damn it. He couldn’t just stand by with all this information, the whole picture, not like some emotionless bystander. Tuff was his friend too, damn it, and he was  _ hurt _ , and  _ alone _ , and he needed  _ help _ . Not some dumb plan that was likely to get him  _ killed _ .

So, before he could begin to spiral in panic, or regret his decision, he blurted out. “Lycanwings are real!”

Ruff didn’t even bother to turn around, hands in the sand, digging, and she grumbled out, voice tired, done. “Oh don’t you start with that yak dung again. I’m not as easy to fool as my moron twin.”

Despite the fact that she was looking away, he still shook his head vehemently, nails digging into his skin even as his arms throbbed in protest. “ _ No _ , Ruffnut, I’m serious.”

There must have been something off about his voice, his desperation audible, because Ruff finally stopped moving. She didn’t turn around, though, and Snotlout took that as the opportunity he needed to continue, despite his growing fear of her reaction, her anger.

“I- Tuff didn’t want me to tell you, he thought you’d freak out. But,” he shivered, a cold wind blowing in as the sun finally set, taking the light and the warmth with it. “I don’t think that’s a good plan anymore.”

For a moment, Ruff stayed still, gaze fixed away from him, on the waves in the distance. Snotlout shivered again, not from the cold this time. She was reminding him far too much of his father, who always waited for him to tire himself out with explanations, before the yelling started. The rage simmered under his skin, heating up, until it burst out in shouts, and it only ever got worse from there. Ruff was still at the simmering stage, but Snotlout had a feeling it was rapidly boiling over to the shouting.

Slowly, Ruff rose to her feet. Slowly, slowly, she turned around to face him. Her expression was indescribable. Then far too quickly, with one, two steps, she was directly in front of him, looking down at him.

Snotlout had never been scared of Ruffnut before.

Astrid, sure. Hiccup…debatable. And yeah, sometimes the twins had ideas that were so crazy it was almost scary. But he’d never looked at Ruff with real fear in his eyes, actual concern for his own wellbeing.

But she’d also never looked at him with such a terrifyingly blank expression, eyes thunderous, teeth grit. He couldn’t even hear Hookfang anymore, who was growling in warning, able to smell his fear, and see the cause of it. Instead all he could see was Ruffnut. 

Voice trembling with rage, she snarled. “Tell me everything.  _ Now _ .”

And eyes wide and fear filled, he did.

***

Escaping his cell was easy enough, even with Barf and Belch still sleeping smackdab in the middle of the stables, blocking the main entrance and exit. Tuff just slipped under the curtain instead, as soon as the first traces of moonlight penetrated into the stables. He kept going, moving both unusually quickly and quietly, all the way up the wooden planks that connected their houses, and all the way into the woods.

It was unpleasant to be back among the trees so soon after the bite, every snap of a branch, every rustle of the bushes, every breath of wind sounding like a Lycanwing ready to pounce. Or even worse, it sounded like his sister, determined to get herself killed, storming into the woods after him.

No, No, he was  _ alone _ .

He shoved another branch out of his face as he went forwards, trying to remind himself that despite Snotlout’s many flaws, the guy knew how to keep a promise. He wouldn’t tell Ruff the truth, no matter how many times he complained about the plan, or threatened to do it. He  _ wouldn’t _ .

No, Tuff was alone. Not a human or dragon in sight, no one to hurt when he inevitably transformed. And that transformation was fast approaching, his symptoms multiplying as the hours counted down to the moon’s apex.

His very bones seemed to ache, and his skin itched, bits of it peeling off under the force of the occasional scratching he’d done in his cage. At least his eyes hurt less, the darkness gentle on his far too sensitive pupils. He was hungry too, craving fish, but he suspected not having eaten all day certainly hadn’t helped that one.

Then he heard a noise behind him, a single cluck.  _ Chicken _ .

Tuff spun around, mustering the best glare and disapproving expression he could. Given the circumstances, it probably turned out more like a fearful pout. “Chicken!” he cried out.

Sure enough, Chicken looked up at him innocently, as if she wasn’t risking her whole life following him into the woods, to her doom. He’d almost forgotten her, so used to her presence that he probably would have let her. And that just wouldn’t do. He refused to hurt a single being he cared about, and that list definitely included Chicken.

He picked her up with both hands, lifting her easily, and glared at her accusingly, filling his voice with as much righteous anger as he could muster. “You have to abandon me to my grisly fate! Dragons  _ eat  _ chickens, remember?”

Chicken just stared up at him, unbudging, clucking mournfully.

He swallowed. “Don’t you look at me with those sad gorgeous eyes of yours, its for the best!!” He broke their unofficial staring contest, shifting his gaze to the sky, which was barely visible over the blanket of treetops.

Still, he could see the stars starting to emerge, constellations connecting, and more importantly, the moon was starting to rise. Just looking at that pale white orb was enough to make his skin itch, and a shiver shuddered it’s way up his spine. He knew his time was running out.

He looked back down at Chicken, his beloved poultry friend, who was still staring up at him with those big sad eyes of hers.

Tuff sighed, lowering her gently to the ground. “Fare thee well, old friend. Don’t follow me.”

And he turned away from his favorite bird, turning back to face the wall of trees that currently surrounded him, dark and foreboding. Like the woods were pulling him into a big, tangled hug, one that he’d never escape from.

He sucked in a shaky breath, smiling to nobody with a final burst of bravado. “I must face my destiny alone.”

And he stumbled forwards into the woods, away from the only friend he had left, onwards to his inevitable fate.


	2. Finally feel at home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is running out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very tired but happy to be done this fic  
> Dragon werewolf time :)  
> also lmao this chapter is almost twice the length of the previous one,,woops

“Then what can we  _ do _ ?” Hiccup’s voice cracked without his permission, the fear leaking through. “Our friend is in danger!”

Kessler moved his hand away from his neck, tapping at the table thoughtfully, eyes narrowed and calculating. “Well…you could bring them here. This place is a haven to all Lycanwings, and that invitation would extend to your friend.” He stared up at the ceiling, at the hole that gave traces of light that did the bare minimum of lighting the room, which probably led off into another maze of tunnels. One that’d eventually bring you back to the surface, if you were lucky. “This place is a secret, so they wouldn’t have to worry about dragon hunters either. After all,” he shrugged, “No one  _ really _ believes those old stories about us anyway.”

Immediately, Fishlegs protested vehemently. “We’re not leaving him!”

Kessler leaned fully onto the stone table, resting his chin in his hands, and shifted his gaze to Fishlegs, eyebrows raised. He sneered. “And do you have a  _ better _ plan? Perhaps wait for him to kill you? Or I suppose you could kill him yourselves. Put him out of his misery and all that.”

Fishlegs growled at that, hands clenched into fists by his sides. “ _ Never _ . We’ll find a way to save him.” He turned to Hiccup, eyes blazing with determination, and Hiccup could almost mistake him for Thor Bonecrusher himself.

“Won’t we, Hiccup?”

It was phrased like a question, but clearly a statement. After all, Fishlegs always refused to take no for an answer when it came to the safety of his friends. “We will,” Hiccup agreed, easily. He wasn’t one for giving up either.

But what was there to do in this scenario, where the transformation was inevitable?

Was there ever really a question?

Hiccup held out the palm of his hand, staring down at it, face blank. This was the hand that had changed all of Berk for the better, the hand that had reached out across species, breaking centuries of war, all for one forbidden friendship. The hand he’d held out, time and time again, to allies and enemies, Vikings and dragons alike, striving for peace. It was the only choice he’d consider, the only choice he’d  _ ever _ consider.  _ Mercy _ .

The only difference this time would be the recipient.

“I’m going to reason with him.” He said, voice full of certainty. After all, dragon or not, it was still  _ Tuffnut _ . He  _ knew  _ Hiccup.

At those words, Kessler let out a bark of laughter. It wasn’t a nice sound. “You think you can reason with a  _ Lycanwing _ ?? That’s impossible, kid.”

Hiccup refused to let the immediate dismissal faze him, squaring his shoulders. “Then how do you explain,” he waved his arms, gesturing to the dragons that surrounded them, the ones that hadn’t moved a single scale to attack them. “This??”

But Kessler didn’t seem ruffled at all by his sharp accusation, expression unbudging. “Lycanwings don’t hurt each other. And they listen to me. They won’t hurt you as long as I’m here. It’s why we’re safe here. You humans, on the other hand….” he looked away, voice deliberately light.

He paused for a second, staring into the distance. Gaze blank and unseeing, like there was something lurking just behind the crowd, the cave, something dark and important. “Your friend won’t recognize you. Trust me.”

He looked older now, shadows flickering on his face, highlighting the many scars that covered it. He sighed tiredly, any trace of a grin fading from his expression. “I’ve seen it happen. There aren’t bonds strong enough to survive it. You’ll die, or he’ll die. Simple as that.” He tilted his head, as if mentally considering all the options they had. “Or you could leave him with us.”

“That’s not an option.” Hiccup said, before Fishlegs could yell at the Lycanwing again. He knew they were in agreement here, knew they only really had one option, and he looked Kessler right in the eyes as he spoke, voice steady and certain. “We’ll get through to him. I’m sure of it.”

For a minute, there was silence. Hiccup had made his point, he was done speaking, and Fishlegs had nothing to add. No, the ball was in Kessler’s court, who was too busy staring at Hiccup intensely, expression unreadable. Hiccup resisted the urge to speak, letting Kessler stare at him in tense silence, until, finally, Kessler broke eye contact.

He shrugged, inspecting his unusually sharp fingernails as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Wait. Hadn’t they been shorter when this conversation started? “ _ Fine _ . Suit yourselves." Hiccup let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, as Kessler continued unbothered. “Just don’t come crawling back to me when this…” he made air quotations with his fingers, “‘ _ Plan _ ’ of yours, goes inevitably wrong.”

Hiccup nodded. Despite Kessler’s lack of faith in his own abilities, he was still confident he’d be able to help Tuff. After all, this man, this stranger, didn’t know Hiccup. He hadn’t seen what he’d been through, what he’d struggled through for all those years, what he’d managed to overcome, all by extending a hand in friendship. He just couldn’t  _ understand _ .

“But back to the point…” Kessler raised his eyebrows lazily. “When was this friend of yours bitten?”

“Yesterday.” Hiccup and Fishlegs answered easily, in unison.

Kessler grimaced, baring his teeth. Somehow, his mouth no longer seemed big enough to fit them, and while Hiccup had noticed earlier that his teeth were slighter sharper than a normal Vikings’, they were now full-on fangs. Bit by bit, his human attributes were peeling away, right before their very eyes.

“Well then, you’d better hurry if you want to save him. The transformation only takes a day or two to set in. Then at the next full moon….” his eyes flickered upwards, “tonight.  _ Well _ ,”

He grinned at them, spreading his arms once more. Not only were his teeth sharpening, lengthening, his arms were red, not with scars, but with scales. His lack of sleeves helped to illustrate how far they had spread, down his arms, down his neck and chest. Even his pupils were thinner, practically slits, as he looked at them, expression almost bestial. “I’m sure you can put the pieces together yourselves.”

He stared up at the ceiling, where the light was still shining though, faint and pale. “The moon’s already started to rise, I can feel it. You don’t have much time left.”

Instantly, both Hiccup and Fishlegs rose to their feet so fast that if their chairs hadn’t been made of stone, they would have clattered to the floor. “Then we need to  _ go _ .” Said Hiccup, jaw set.

“Sure, whatever.” Shrugged Kessler. “I wish you luck, Hiccup and Fishlegs.” His eyes gleamed, and he smiled. “If your friend survives the transformation, you should bring him to me. I’d love to meet him.”

Hiccup huffed, turning away. “No promises there, buddy.”

Then his eyes narrowed further as he turned around, catching sight of the crowd that still surrounded them, blocking the exit, and for a moment, he worried they’d have to fight their way out. Toothless, seemingly able to read his thoughts, growled in warning, spikes bristing on his back as he glared daggers at the Lycanwings. But before they could shove their way through, Kessler made another inhuman noise in the back of his throat, and instantly, the crowd parted, giving them space to space, and also exposing the tunnel they’d entered through in the process.

“If I were you,” Kessler suggested, far too casually, “I’d take the emergency exit instead.” Hiccup turned around in confusion, only to see him pointing a single finger up to the skylight that illuminated the room, the tunnel that had to lead to the surface as well. “It’s much faster. And there’s only one route, so you don’t need to worry about getting lost, or anything…”

He trailed off, since they were already mounting their dragons, Hiccup hooking his metal leg into the stirrup with practiced ease. He didn’t bother to say goodbye, far too focused on leaving, and he leaned over to whisper in his partner’s ear, voice tight with determination. “Let’s go bud. Tuff needs us.”

And with a snort of air, Toothless took off, shooting into the tunnel like an arrow shot out of a hunter’s bow. He thought he could hear a final yell, a “Goodbye and good luck!” But him and Toothless had already left the cavern, soaring through the narrow passage, taking tight turns, as they neared their way to the surface. He didn’t bother checking behind him, knew Meatlug wasn’t far behind, he could hear the beating of her wings echoing behind them, buzzing like a beetle, as they flew.

The tunnel got brighter and brighter, the air fresher, until finally, they burst out of it into the night sky, Hiccup breathing in the night air with relief. Kessler was right, he could tell from a single glance, the moon was out, and rising fast. They needed to get back to the edge as soon as possible, before someone got hurt.

“Come on, Fish, Let’s go!” he called out, as his friend emerged from the tunnel behind him. And then they were off, speeding into the night as fast as their dragons would allow, back to the Edge.

_ Hold on Tuff _ , Hiccup thought, eyes on the sky ahead, hands tight on Toothless’ back, clammy with concern.

_ We’re coming back for you _ .

***

The Edge had been strangely silent today, devoid of any yelling matches, or explosions, or any sort of noise, really. It was weird, sure, but Astrid wasn’t complaining. It’d been nice to have the time to herself, to hang out with Stormfly, to actually get to read something without interruptions, and sharpen her axe, legs crossed.

That was what she was doing now, leaning against the foot of her bed, Stormfly at her side, purring softly. She knew things were bound to get chaotic again soon, it was the nature of living with a bunch of crazy Viking teenagers, and their equally crazy dragons, so she was determined to enjoy the quiet while it lasted.

Though there was definitely a small part of her that was concerned she hadn’t seen Hiccup since last night, or Fishlegs either, but she also knew they had a tendency to get sucked into their inventing, spending days holed up in their huts together, rambling about dragons and Thor knows what else. So it was probably fine.

And yeah, she’d watched Ruff drag Snotlout into the woods last night, and hadn’t seen them since. That was less good. But right now, the island wasn’t on fire, and no one was dying, so she didn’t have to do anything.

Unfortunately, sensing that thought, Loki seemed thrilled to personally spite her, and suddenly, Snotlout came bursting into her hut, yelling her name at the top of his lungs. Her first instinct was to roll her eyes and ignore him, wondering why he hadn’t just gone to Hiccup. But there was panic in his voice, raw desperation in the way he said her name, like he was scared she wouldn’t answer.

And sure, it was  _ Snotlout _ , but he was still her friend. She’d help him if he needed her help for real. Also, Stormfly lifted her head at the sounds and snorted, a clear ‘Go see him!’ that she couldn’t really ignore in good conscience.

So, axe still in hand, just in case she’d need it to help him, she climbed to her feet, and over to the edge of the loft where her small bedroom was nested away. She was preparing a quip of some sort, a little bit of sarcasm that was the root of her and Snotlout’s relationship, but all that faded from her mind as she caught sight of the Viking in question, her sharp words dying on her tongue.

He looked  _ terrible _ .

His arms were covered in bites, red and swollen, with bruises beginning to shadow the skin around the puncture wounds. His shirt was sandy, as if he’d been wrestling on a beach. His face was sweaty and flushed, like he’d run the whole way here, and his eyes were wide and panicked. Worst of all was his expression. Absolutely  _ terrified _ .

She hadn’t seen him this scared since Hookfang had almost died, with that whole stressful race to collect Fireworms, and that said something of the severity of the scenario he was coming to yell about.

He gasped for breath, leaning on her door frame, as she jumped down her loft in a single leap, not bothering with the ladder with her haste to get to his side, to find out what was horrifying wrong. Behind him, she could spot Hookfang, who was shooting smoke from his nostrils in impatience. He glared at her as if daring her to insult his rider. She almost rolled her eyes again at the rude assumption, but instead focused her attention on the rider in question.

Keeping her voice low and steady, she murmured. “Hey, Snotlout, it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong.” She bent her knees a little, so she could look him in the eye, and put her free hand on his shoulder. She wasn’t one for physical contact, but she supposed she could make an exception if it would calm him down enough to explain what was going on.

Finally, after a couple seconds of panicked breathing, he was able to wheeze out, “Ruff’s..in... th’woods.” He gasped again, before trying once more. “We..need..t’go…after..her.” His hands were shaking as he grasped the front of her tunic, and surprising herself, she let him. “Tuff’sa…Lycanwing..”

“ _ What _ .” Said Astrid in response, as calmly as she could manage. She hadn’t known when to expect when he’d burst into her hut, but she could say with confidence that Tuff being a genuine Lycanwing, a mythical creature, was at the very bottom of that list.

As if sensing her hesitation, Stormfly appeared behind her, nudging her in Snotlout’s direction. Oh Thor, then he was telling the  _ truth _ , wasn’t he? She should’ve known a whole day of quiet was too much to hope for, should’ve known something would go wrong. Carefully, she grasped Snotlout’s wrist and squeezed. “I’ll come with you. Just tell me where to go.”

And she followed him out the door, and into the woods. Where her friend was apparently turning into a monster.

Gods, what a day.

***

Tuffnut stared down the edge of the cliff, doing his best to swallow his rising anxiety. Gods, had that drop always looked so  _ big _ ?

The wind was howling, spreading the sea salt smell and blowing his dreads in his face. It was dark out, and cold too, and the waves below would only be colder and darker. They crashed against the cliffside, blow after blow, as if daring him to leap. Like the gods were laughing at him, jeering,  _ are you really gonna do it _ ?

But do  _ what _ ? He needed to muster the courage to do  _ something _ , jump, scream, fly, he couldn’t just  _ wait _ for the transformation to hit. Though, judging from how high the moon had risen during his stumbled journey through the woods, he didn’t actually have that much waiting left. But no, still, he couldn’t afford to wait.

Just as he finally managed to muster up the courage to lift his foot over the edge, readying himself for the drop, there was a scream behind him.

“ _ NO _ !”

He almost fell off the cliff in surprise from the sudden shout, and it was only thanks to his excellent reflexes that he was able to reign himself in at the last second, arms windmilling at his sides. “ _ Stop _ !!” cried a voice he’d known for literally his whole life, one he’d recognize anywhere. The tone was different though, high and panicked as his sister cried out again, “Don’t jump!”

He spun around to face her, eyes wide, dreads and tail whirling around with him, fast enough to hit him. He was shivering, but he wasn’t sure if it was from fear, or just a consequence of the cold wind that whistled as it brushed over his ridiculously short clothes for the current weather. Maybe it was even another symptom from his fast-approaching moon induced transformation. He wasn’t sure which option he preferred.

“ _ Sis _ ??” he yelped.

Ruff looked pretty bad for someone who wasn’t currently turning into a dragon, breathing heavily. Her braids were close to undone, and peppered with twigs and leaves, and her clothes were a mess, ruffled and covered with…was that sand?

Worst of all was her expression though, uncharacteristically distraught, and Tuff’s chest twisted with guilt with the knowledge that he was probably the cause of it. Her eyes were bright and her fists were clenched, in the way she did when she was ready to yell at someone, and it was not a nice feeling to know that person was definitely him.

Even more betraying though, was the creature at her feet, more specifically, the  _ chicken _ at her feet, hiding behind her. That little traitor had led his sister right to him! He was about to yell at his feathered companion, express his feelings of betrayal, when Ruff took another step towards him, and he froze instantly.

“Don’t move!” he shouted, hands raised in front of him pleadingly. “Don’t get any closer. I-I--” he shuddered, “I don’t know what I’ll  _ do _ !”

And honestly, Tuff wasn’t even exaggerating at this point. His body no longer felt like his own, bones throbbing in pain, nails almost claws, and his skin  _ itched _ . He had a nagging suspicion that if he stopped to check his limbs, to lift his tunic, he’d find scales growing underneath, a terrifying possibility.

But Ruff didn’t seem to notice any of his bestial attributes, or if she did, she apparently didn’t care. She just squared her shoulders, and took another step forward, ignoring the way Tuff winced as she did. “You’re my  _ brother _ , Tuff. I’m not scared of you.”

Oh Thor, why did his smart sister have to be so  _ stupid  _ sometimes? Didn’t she get it? Couldn’t she see,  _ feel _ , the moon climbing higher in the sky, practically already at its peak? If he listened closely, it felt like he could almost hear something creaking out of place, bones and muscles shifting under his skin in preparation for what was soon to come.

He bit his lip nervously, and his teeth were far sharper than he’d expected, actually managing to draw blood. The ruby red liquid dripped from his lips as he whispered, “You  _ should _ be.”

He wasn’t even being dramatic at this point, though he wished to the gods he was. He wished this was all just some bad joke, like he’d originally assumed, just a story Vikings told their children to scare them into obedience. Not a monster he could feel himself becoming.

But his sister still didn’t seem to understand that. “I don’t  _ care _ .” She growled. “Snotlout told me what you said, he told me  _ everything _ . I don’t care what you think, I’m not losing my only brother to some stupid  _ myth _ .”

He felt a small twinge of betrayal at those words, at the fact that Snotlout really had told her everything despite his pleading, but it was quickly overshadowed by a surge of disbelief at her complete unawareness of what was happening to him. What her beloved brother was becoming, right before her very eyes.

He swallowed, and it tasted like blood. “Ruff.” He lamented, tone pitying. “You know it’s real. Just  _ look _ at me!” And he spread out his arms, showcasing the hands turned claws, fangs that shone in the moonlight, scales that peeked out from under his tunic, a sickening green. And most obviously, the great big tail that trailed behind him. The ultimate proof.

“I’m turning into a  _ monster _ .”

For a moment, Ruff was speechless. Her eyes went over his body, his horrifying inhuman traits, his literal tail, and for a moment, Tuff thought, hoped to the gods that she’d see reason, and leave him to the cliff. But instead, she seemed to steel her nerves, brow furrowed, and she took another step closer.

He had to resist backing away from her, knowing a single step backwards would be enough to send him plummeting into the dark waters below. Ruff’s eyes were shining, far too hopeful, as she held out a hand towards him.

“You’re still my brother, dragon or not.”

She smiled at him, a lopsided pained thing. But it was still a smile, something he hadn’t seen all day, expressing all the hope he hadn’t dared to feel. “Hiccup will figure something out, I promise.  _ We _ can help you.  _ I _ can help you! Just…” her eyes darted to his feet unconsciously, to how ridiculously close they were to the edge. “Step back from the cliff.  _ Please _ .”

The raw fear in her voice physically hurt him, the concern that they were never the best at showing bubbling to the surface. Tuff stared at her outstretched hand, expression pale and unreadable.

For a second, a single second, he considered accepting it.

Then he froze.

A shudder went through him, limbs trembling, as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Suddenly, everything hurt, he was falling apart, falling to his knees, as his hands, claws, went to his face, which was burning up. To  _ scratch _ , to  _ tear _ , to  _ hide _ , he no longer knew.

All he knew was _ pain. _

But deep, deep down, as his body screamed at him  _ to die to change you’re too small too contained for your flesh-- _

He knew what was happening, what was wrong with him. The moon had finally reached its peak.

The transformation had begun.

***

Ruffnut didn’t know what was going on anymore.

One second, her brother had been staring at her hand in silent contemplation, with too wide eyes and a fearful expression she hated on his face. The next, he’d collapsed to his knees, and he’d started to scream.

Instinctively, Ruff took a step back. There were still several meters that separated them, and while that’d seemed like an island’s length a second ago, now she felt far too close. Tuff was screaming, writhing in pain, the moon glaring down at him like some grim spectator, painting his silhouette in white.

Things went from bad to worse very quickly, as his body shuddered and jolted, and she could hear a crick crack snap of what must have been his bones, snapping out of place, as suddenly there was the sound of fabric ripping. His spine emerged from his back, tearing through both his skin and his shirt, bloody bone impaling his back in a vaguely spike-esque manner.

Ruff had to resist the urge to throw up, hands going to her face, as if she could somehow block out her vision, shut out this grisly spectacle. She couldn’t though, couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze away. She needed to know what would happen to him, if the transformation would somehow be enough to kill him.

His clothes fell to pieces at the emergence of the outer protrusions, revealing pale skin soaked bloody red, covered almost entirely by acid green scales. His fingers stretched and sharpened, scratching at his face, desperate to end the pain, as his feet clawed at the dirt beneath him, practically talons already. His claws at his face only served to highlight the flesh tearing on his arms, as the broken bones of his shattered arm extended out of the skin, exposing red red flesh against the rapidly spreading scales, and she watched in silent horror as the bone extended far longer than it should, as the skin stretched to catch up, filling the spaces left from the bony protrusions, as her brother’s arms became bloodsoaked  _ wings _ .

But that wasn’t even the worst part.

No, it was as his helmet fell off in his thrashing that she sucked in a breath, as metal horns fell off to reveal real horns underneath, growing out of his skull. White like his hair was fast becoming, dreads falling in his face in the chaos, starting to change forms to drip and melt. His screams went up a pitch at that, as the white hair liquid burned a trail down his face skin peeling burning red raw until it was completely smothered by the white. The whiteness dripped down like candle wax as he tried to scratch at it desperately with sharp claws but tore them away shrieking in pain.

The bones continued to break and crack beneath him as his legs stretched out further behind him, clothes nothing but tatters on the dirt as his wings grew, scales increasing in volume. His spine seemed to lengthen, torso rapidly becoming more of a neck to the  _ creature  _ her brother was becoming.

His claws were soaked in his own blood, screaming almost completely muffled by the hot white liquid that had taken over his face, which was still melting, still morphing, until it looked vaguely like something resembling a dragon’s skull. Then it started to harden, solidify, into the skull shape, with sockets for eyes and a jaw split in two only connected near the end where her brother’s head had been only minutes ago.

His body was getting longer, skin and bone stretching and breaking, and she shuddered, taking another step back. Hair became bone, blood and skin became scales that elongated into wings and talons until finally, horrifyingly, there was not a trace of her brother left.

Only a dragon, a beast, with a skull for a head and a long green neck with great big leathery wigs and red scales scattered along its body. The only proof that this creature had once been her twin was the discarded helmet beside it, the tattered remains of his clothes, along with the puddle of blood from his transformation that soaked the ground and turned the dirt beneath its talons a crimson red.

“T-Tuff?” she croaked, voice raw and terrified. Opening her mouth was a mistake, for it made avoiding her desperate urge to throw up even harder to ignore. But still. She had to know.

The dragon stared down at her with its hollow sockets that glowed a bright red, finally acknowledging her presence. Her heart sank so low in her chest that for a moment she felt like she’d died, stopped breathing entirely.

Because there was no recognition in those eyes.

***

Even with their dragons flying as fast as physically possible, it still took them hours to return to the Edge, hours spent watching the moon slowly rise higher and higher, steadily approaching its apex, as they raced against the sky itself to reach their home in time to save their friend. But finally, to their utter relief, the Edge came into view.

Usually, Hiccup wouldn’t be able to tell that from their current distance, even with his relatively good vision, but the island currently stood out far more than usual in the archipelago.

Because the Edge was on fire.

The normally green hills and woods had been overtaken by a blazing red, eerily reminiscent of that time the twins had temporarily taken over the island, and it’d almost been burnt down by Fireworms. Trees ablaze, smoke spiralling high into the clouds, the equivalent of a giant target on their home. He could smell the smoke, burnt wood and charred grass, the stench only getting stronger and more suffocating the closer they got to the source.

The only advantage to the island’s fast spreading wildfire was the arrow it pointed towards their friends, who Hiccup could see all standing on the nearest cliff edge, gesticulating wildly. Toothless swooped down without any prompting from Hiccup, Meatlug right on their heels, and they landed on the grassy plain next to seemingly all of the island’s residents.

And honestly, none of them were looking too good.

Ruffnut looked furious, braids and clothes a mess as she argued with Astrid, who was clutching her axe tight enough for Hiccup to know she was scared, knuckles white on the handle. Already a bad sign, if the burning forest hadn’t been warning enough. 

Stormfly was beside her rider, practically shadowing Astrid, standing as tall as she could manage, and was staring down at Ruff with an expression Hiccup had no idea how to interpret. And behind Astrid stood Snotlout, almost but not quite hiding behind her, Hookfang at his side. He looked terrible, arms covered in bleeding and bruised bites, and Hiccup had a feeling he didn’t want to know the story behind them. He was arguing too, clearly on Astrid’s side, but cautious not to turn Ruff’s wrath on him.

And in between the three of them was Barf and Belch. The dragon wasn’t looking too good either, Hiccup could hear the whining even from his distant position, could see how the dragon seemed unable to make up its mind. While one head was swiveling back and forth between Astrid and Ruff, watching the argument anxiously, the other was fixed on the blazing woods, barely blinking. 

Hiccup felt a sinking feeling in his chest just watching the two distressed heads, so, quickly, he dismounted from Toothless, giving him a quick pat on the side in thanks, before heading over to his friends side. He wasn’t blind to Tuff’s lack of presence, or to the fact that one half of his dragon was facing the same woods that happened to be burning down to the ground, knew it meant nothing good, and that the twin was probably the subject of their heated debate.

As he came closer, he was finally able to make out what they were saying, just as Ruff jabbed a finger into Astrid’s chest, glare venomous. “If you kill him, I’m killing  _ you  _ next.” 

Of course, Hiccup took that as the perfect opportunity to announce his presence with a wince, and an awkward wave. “Hey guys. What’d I miss?”

Immediately, all three of them turned to him, dragons as well, with expressions filled with varying amounts of anger, surprise, and relief. Astrid was leaning more on the frustrated relief side of the scale, though she did her best to show only the anger. “Where have you  _ been _ ?” she hissed, looking a second away from using her axe on him in a horrifyingly creative way. He knew she wouldn’t, of course, but the thought was still enough to make him sweat. Or maybe that was just from the hot dry air that surrounded them, the heat from the nearby fire practically radiating on his skin.

Hiccup shot a glance at the burning forest behind him, the cause of the stifling heat, and at the grass dyed red, consequences of what must have been an agonizing transformation. “Oh you know…” he grimaced, “Discovering the obvious. Tuff’s a Lycanwing.”

Snotlout regained a little bit of his sarcasm at that, rolling his eyes, and he huffed. “Yeah. We guessed that part.”

“Well then, what’s the plan?” Fishlegs questioned, appearing at Hiccup’s side.

At those words, instantly, Ruff’s features sharpened back to suspicion, and her glare shifted to Hiccup. “Hiccup I swear to Thor, if you let  _ her,”  _ she pointed a finger roughly in Astrid’s direction, eyes bright and angry and unbreaking in eye contact. _ “ _ go  _ near _ him, I’ll-” But she seemed to have already exhausted all her threats before he’d shown up, and unable to find words harsh enough to express her anger, simply settled for staring straight at Hiccup, keeping her eyes locked on his own, unblinking, her body trembling with repressed rage. She was upset, agitated, for good reason, and Hiccup knew he’d have to speak carefully.

But before he could begin to try and reassure her, Snotlout bristled, looking affronted at the mere suggestion. “Why would we willingly get closer to that  _ thing _ ? We’re not  _ looking _ to  _ die _ , right?”

Now Ruff’s rage focused on Snotlout, eyes narrowing. “That’s not a  _ thing _ . That’s my  _ brother _ .”

Snotlout threw up his hands. “Well then your  _ brother _ is trying to kill us! Is that better? IS  _ THAT _ WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR????” He glared up at her in equal anger, subtly standing on his toes to stand even taller in face of her. Still, Ruff easily towered over him, and she looked ready to get physical if necessary, something Hiccup hoped it wouldn’t come to.

“Ruff…” Fishlegs said tentatively, with the same tone one would use to soothe a particularly wild dragon. “I’m pretty sure Tuff doesn’t need you to protect him. He’s a big terrifying dragon, and we’re…..” He made a face, “Not that.”

Thankfully, this point seemed enough to tear her away from her rising argument with Snotlout, as she sniffed reproachfully. “Well we have dragons of our own, and axes.” She shot a meaningful scowl in Astrid’s direction, and at the axe she was still tightly clutching. “And some of us have particularly  _ violent _ tendencies.”

Astrid grit her teeth, and when she spoke, her voice was tight, like she was struggling to contain her frustration. “I’m not saying we should  _ kill  _ him. I’m just saying we need to get him under control before he burns down the whole island, with  _ us _ on it!”

Snotlout nodded fervently in agreement beside her, but Hiccup just frowned at the reminder of the root of their argument, and also the reason they’d been so desperate to return to the Edge before time ran out. “Is he okay though? Is he hurt?”

Ruffnut’s eyes went back to him as he spoke, scowl still in place. But while her glare didn’t drop completely, brow still furrowed, her shoulders loosened slightly at the question, a bit of the tension bleeding out of her. “Yes. He’s hurting.” Almost unconsciously, her eyes flickered to the darkened patch of grass that had dried already, a mess of blood and fabric.

Hiccup swallowed involuntarily, stomach twisting. _ Don’t think how much it must have hurt him, how scared he must have been, don’t think about it don’t don’t don’t-- _

“We need to help him then.”

Immediately, everyone avoided eye contact, uncomfortable at the mere thought of facing both the forest fire and the source of it. Even Astrid didn’t look eager to go. The only one who seemed willing to face the draconic twin was Ruff, who straightened in determination. “I’ll do it.”

Hiccup winced guiltily. “I….don’t think that’s a good idea. If he hurts you somehow..” He grimaced. “He’ll never forgive himself.”

Her mouth twisted at that, anger flashing to fear for a brief vulnerable second, and Hiccup’s stomach knotted even further at the sight of it. It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Ruff was vulnerable too, what with her cheerfully aggressive demeanor, but all this yelling was just her way of expressing her worry. And she  _ was _ worried.

“I can do it.” He reassured her, keeping his voice as steady as he could make it. “I’ll go see him.”

Instantly, both Astrid and Snotlout protested.

“Are you  _ insane _ Hiccup???”

“And what’s  _ your  _ genius plan?? Hug him and hope for the best??”

Almost unconsciously, Hiccup spread his palm once more, staring down at his red and chaffed fingers. “Not quite.” He responded, ignoring Astrid’s particular yell, and focusing on Snotlout’s stressed sarcasm instead. “But something similar.”

Looking back up at his friends, gaze set, he clenched his fist. “Where is he?”

Involuntarily, everyone’s eyes went to the burning woods behind them. Hiccup couldn’t resist a nervous laugh. “Alright, dumb question.”

And without further ado, he turned around, facing the dreaded woods fully for the first time that night.

The trees weren’t completely engulfed with flames, thank Thor, but it was still definitely a full-blown forest fire. It had all the symptoms of one, the bright orange flames that leaped and bounded over the treeline, the crackling of smoldering sticks and leaves, the smoke that seemed to be stalking it’s way out of the woods towards them, the moisture completely gone from his lips, dried and cracked. No doubt it was dangerous.

Hiccup was reminded uncomfortably of the last time he’d dived into flames, when he’d fallen, nearly unconscious from pain and exhaustion, beside his beloved partner, into a literal inferno. And in the end, he literally hadn’t come out in one piece. Said partner was whining right now, distressed, but he knew Hiccup well enough to know he wouldn’t let Toothless interfere. They couldn’t risk Tuff getting distressed from the presence of another dragon and lashing out. So yes, Hiccup was scared, and yes, he knew he was going to have to go in alone. But still, Tuffnut was out there, hurting. And he knew the twin would do the same for him, without a second thought, knew he’d be eager to risk life and limb for Hiccup.

He licked his dry lips, tense, and took a step forward. Then another.

“You’re crazy.” Whispered Snotlout behind him. He hated that he didn’t even need to see his expression to picture it perfectly, to see in his mind’s eye the wide, scared eyes, the tight frown that trembled subtly. “He’ll kill you.” His voice shuddered, but managed not to crack.

Hiccup held in another wince, and looked back at his friend, grinning ruefully. “Only one way to find out for sure.” And he took another step forward.

He was practically at the threshold of the forest now, nearly among the flames and the blazing leaves that made the green-leaved oaks look like fall had already hit. But before he could take that final step forward into the woods, there was suddenly a hand grabbing his wrist, grip far too tight.

He twisted his neck to look back behind him, eyebrows raised high in surprise.

It was Ruffnut.

Her normally mischievous expression was still uncharacteristically grim, as she stared straight into his eyes, gaze intense, brow twisted in distress. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and practically thrumming with emotion, desperation incarnate. “You won’t hurt him, right Hiccup?”

Hiccup almost wanted to laugh, to ask her if she was joking, if she’d ever  _ met  _ him. But her expression was dead serious. She was waiting for his answer. So instead, Hiccup tried to channel all of his determination, his concern for her and her brother, his love for the two of them, into his eyes, as he answered, voice calm and steady. “I would never. I’m gonna help him. I promise.”

She inhaled, shakily. “okay.” And she released his wrist, taking a step back.

He gave her one last nod, a final acknowledgement of his promise, burning her desperate expression into his mind before finally turning back to the forest.

_ It was time. _

And he took that last step into the burning foliage, disappearing from his friends’ sight.

***

Hiccup’s skin glistened with sweat as he made his way through the trees, careful to avoid touching any of the flames that surrounded him. His throat burned, his eyes watered, and he doubted he’d be able to stay in the fire for long without risking unconsciousness or another lost limb. Thankfully, he didn’t have to walk long to stumble upon the source of the fire.

The trees seemed to disappear around him, as in less than second, Hiccup was in the center of the burning forest, the next, at the edge of a huge circle of charred nothingness.

Tuffnut stood out easily, mainly because of the fact that the forest around him had been completely decimated, nothing but blackened grass and scorched stumps. And standing in the middle of the burning carcasses of the trees was Tuff himself. Finally, he was face to face with his newly draconic friend.

Hiccup’s first thought was that dragon Tuffnut was  _ long _ .

His neck stretched out similarly to Barf and Belch, though not quite as long, green scales and red spikes that went all the way down his spine, trailing their way to the tip of his swishing tail. His wings were more like Hookfang’s though, batlike leathery things that replaced his arms, spread out wide at his sides. And just like the other Lycanwings, his head was a skull with two pairs of curled horns sticking out of it, with sockets glowing a bright feverish red.

His mouth was open wide, bone teeth exposed, and Hiccup was able to see, to his horror, that instead of a tongue, he had a second smaller mouth in the back of his throat. That throat was starting to glow a blazing purple, charging up another shot. He looked terrifying, big big bigger than a human should be, and Hiccup refused to think of how his body had forced itself to become like that, stretched out and wrong, and instead focused on how obviously distressed his friend looked.

Shrieking, Tuff fired another shot, and Hiccup realized just in time that _oh Thor oh fuck it was heading towards_ ** _him_** and ducked downwards, hands on his head, fast enough to feel the wind whistle from the blast, the heat singing his hair. He looked up just in time for Tuff to scream in his face, two mouths screeching in anger and agony, spitting blood and liquid bone on his skin so hot it burned, sizzling on his cheeks.

Hiccup stumbled backwards, shocked at the noise and the sudden pain, and he couldn’t resist a yelp as he fell to the scorched ground beneath him. He stared up at Tuff, eyes wide and scared at the sight of the up-close Lycanwing, that looked far more intimidating when Hiccup was close enough to count his teeth, to see the flaming red pupils that burned in his hollow sockets. Tuff opened his mouth once more, unhinging the bleached white skull, starting to summon a fireball that’d easily be powerful enough to kill Hiccup in seconds.

Panicking more than slightly, but seriously doubting his own ability to run away, Hiccup raised his hands in surrender, showing off the bare palms. “Woah Woah Woah!!” He warbled, resisting the urge to cough. Fuck, this much smoke inhalation definitely couldn’t be good for him. “It’s okay, Tuff! I won’t hurt you!”

Tuff didn’t show any visual recognition to his own name, which was a pretty bad sign, but he also closed his jaw at the sound of Hiccup’s pleading, staring down at Hiccup intensely with his full, unwavering attention, which was a slightly better sign. He smiled unsurely up at the dragon, keeping the eye contact as slowly, slowly, he started to raise his palm towards him.

At this point, Hiccup was not doing so good. It hurt to speak, to breathe, he could barely keep his eyes open with the heat and smoke in the air, but he forced himself to keep them open, to maintain eye contact with Tuff, even as he held out his hand closer to the skull that was practically radiating heat, to the teeth that could easily rip him in two with a single bite.

His palm held out in front of him, stretched open and expecting, Hiccup waited quietly, trembling with exertion. He was pretty sure his face was bleeding from his burns, could feel the blood trickling down his cheeks, but still he refused to look away, to give up.

It didn’t matter what Kessler had said, didn’t matter if no bond was supposedly strong enough to survive it. Hiccup knew he’d die for his friends, the thought didn’t scare him, and he knew losing his hand or his life were two probable consequences of holding out his hand. But honestly, was there ever really a question?

No. Of course not.

Hiccup stared up at the dragon, his  _ friend _ , with bated breath, waiting to see what he’d do.

Tuff stared down at his hand in what looked like utter astonishment, though it was hard, practically impossible, to read his friend’s expressions when his face was a literal skull. The dragon stared down at the small, human hand, free of weapons and malice, and there was a tense second, where he simply looked down on Hiccup, face blank, and for a moment, Hiccup was worried he’d somehow made the wrong decision, that Tuff was going to kill him.

But instead, slowly, he lowered his wings, folding them by his sides, hooks digging into the ground. His pupils seemed to soften, flames flickering in their sockets, dimming, and he rumbled in the back of his throat, almost a purr. Then, gently, he moved his skull downwards, fitting it perfectly to the imprint of Hiccup’s hand.

Hiccup choked out a surprised laugh that came out like more of a sob, as the Lycanwing huffed hot air from his nostrils, ruffling Hiccup’s hair, but made no move to attack, to hurt. Instead, he leaned all of his weight into Hiccup’s palm, a wordless expression of trust, as Hiccup’s trembling smile broke out into a full out grin, tears brimming in his eyes in relief.

“I knew it.” He whispered, voice hoarse. “I knew you’d listen.”

It didn’t matter if Tuff didn’t recognize him, didn’t matter if Hiccup was nothing more than a stranger to him. He was still willing to trust Hiccup, to put his life in his hands, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

The Lycanwing was still Tuffnut at heart.

Hiccup leaned into the touch as well, arching his back until his whole body was practically pressed against Tuff’s head, grin wide and refusing to leave his face. He was okay, Tuff was okay, they were all gonna be okay now, and Hiccup’s relief felt like he’d grown wings, lost the ability to be stuck to the ground.

It didn’t matter that the forest was still burning around them, it didn't matter that Hiccup was hurt.  _ Tuff was okay. _

He laughed again in delighted relief, but it quickly turned to a cough that rattled in the back of his throat, scratching his insides. And the cough didn’t stop, only growing in volume and pain, as Hiccup’s eyes stung, watering with tears.

Oh. Maybe all those things did matter after all.

His chest throbbed in pain and his head spun, as suddenly he was no longer simply leaning on Tuff, but collapsing onto him, struggling to suck in air. Tuff backed up, whining in concern, as Hiccup fell to the ground in front of him, chest heaving. His vision was beginning to blur, Hiccup noticed hazily, that was probably another bad sign.

“Hey buddy,” He managed to wheeze out, even as his vision started to fade, eyelids falling closed, as his lungs ached, unable to inhale the clean air he so desperately needed. “New plan. Bring me back to my friends.”

And with those last shuddering words, Hiccup’s lungs finally gave out on him, and everything went black.

***

The clearing was filled with tense silence, their argument having withered away as soon as Hiccup appeared and subsequently left. All that was left was the sound of Toothless’ distressed pacing, where every few seconds he’d turn to the woods, make a step forwards as if planning to follow Hiccup despite his orders, before growling to himself and turning around again, and the harsh breathing of stifled anxiety that all of them were doing their best to ignore.

The wind was still howling, but the cold night air was no longer a concern, what with the full out forest fire burning steadily just beyond the threshold into the woods. Astrid had grown used to the smell of ash and smoke, what with living on an island full of dragons, and riding one herself, but it smelt different with Stormfly. An aftertaste of mercury and steel, of lit sparks and blood, instead of this acrid woodsmoke. Astrid resisted the urge to cover his nose, reminding herself that she was strong enough to handle a little bit of discomfort.

And yet, she felt jittery and impatient, full of too much energy to just stand around and  _ wait _ , wait to find out what had happened to Tuff, to Hiccup. She almost missed the arguing, the familiar fighting, and she laughed bitterly in her head at the memory of how much she’d been enjoying this same quiet only a few hours earlier.

But this was different, this silence was tense and heavy, the calm before the possible storm. She hated seeing her friends like this, quiet and  _ wrong _ .

Fishlegs had retreated to Meatlug’s side, stroking her rough scales methodically, and she wasn’t sure if he was doing it more for her comfort or his, but she suspected the latter. Snotlout was gripping his injured arms far too tightly, ignoring Hookfang’s concerned huffing as the dragon nudged his snout against his side, trying and failing to get his attention. His expression was no longer terrified, but blank faced, and honestly, that was concerning in a whole new way.

And of course…. Ruffnut.

She was facing away from Astrid, gaze stuck on the woods that were slowly burning to the ground, and Astrid was almost thankful she didn’t have to see her expression. She didn’t want to think what emotion would upset her more, anger or genuine worry.

And she wasn’t alone in her quiet intensity. Barf and Belch stood near her, for once both heads in agreement on where to focus their attention. Into the woods. She wondered if the dragon was resisting the urge to comfort Ruff, or if they were far too worried about Tuff to turn their gazes away from the trees.

It was chilling to see their loudest partners so quiet, dragon and rider in silent agreement on where their priorities lay. Despite herself, Astrid felt a twinge of sympathy. She understood the fear that your family would never come back to you. She knew what it felt like for that fear to come true.

There was worry amidst Astrid’s anger, she could admit that in her head at least. But remembering the cause of her anger made her mouth twist, as her earlier argument with the twin in question flashed through her mind.

Her fists clenched at her sides at the reminder of what Ruff had accused her of. Being capable of  _ killing  _ Tuff? Surely she couldn’t see Astrid as that cold, that heartless, right?  _ Right _ ? Astrid knew what her reputation was, that she made people uncomfortable with her single minded training, her anger, her endless determination, but she had  _ feelings _ !

She trembled with frustration, with repressed emotion, as she stared out at the blaze of trees that Hiccup was currently inside. She wished she was as cold and emotionless as she came off, so that her thoughts wouldn’t be buzzing in her skull, with worry, with fear.

Said worried thoughts were interrupted by the sudden noise of snapping of leaves and twigs, seemingly coming from somewhere out beyond the treeline, and Astrid forced her gaze into focus, out of her head, as the sounds got louder and louder, fast approaching them. Then, suddenly, a draconic figure emerged from the woods, trees cracking to make way for the intrusion.

It was Tuff. Still, unfortunately, a dragon, with his skull of a head, long green scaled body, and his at least three times as big as usual size. He was breathing harshly, loud enough to hear clearly, even from the distance Astrid was standing at, and his pupils moved with his head as he looked around the clearing, as if unsure who to focus on.

Cautiously, Astrid took a step back, her sweaty palm tightening its grip on her axe subconsciously. There was no fire being shot at them, and his posture was meek, carrying himself low to the ground, all good signs. But where was Hiccup? He wasn’t beside Tuff, as she’d expected, or even behind him. There was no sign of him.

Then her stomach dropped as she caught sight of the figure on the dragon’s back. Ruff inhaled sharply, hands going to her mouth, as Tuff slinked fully into view, an…. _Unmoving body,_ Hiccup balanced on his back.

_ Oh Thor. What had he done to him? _

His face wasn’t visible, but Astrid could see blood dripping down the dragon’s back, and Hiccup wasn’t speaking, wasn’t groaning in pain. He was far too still, unmoving and quiet. No signs of visible life.

There was a horrible second of silence, where everyone was far too shocked to even consider moving, eyes frozen on the dragon and their friend, their  _ leader _ . Then Toothless  _ keened _ , an agonized noise that broke off at the end, pupils wide with fear, and they all shuddered at the sound of utter  _ loss _ .

The sound was enough to snap them out of their shock and into frenzied action, as everyone burst into movement around her.

Astrid didn’t even realize she’d raised her axe, hands above her head, ready to strike  _ hurt how could you do this he was trying to help you why why why _ until she felt arms around her torso holding her back and when had she started moving towards the dragon, expression set?

Her eyes were locked on the dragon, which was crying out in distress, as Fishlegs ran to his side barely batting an eye at the claws or teeth or possible fire, dragging Hiccup’s body off the dragon’s back as gently and quickly as he could manage. She couldn’t look away from the still bloody body or the dimmed lights in the creature’s sockets as if he,  _ it _ , was grieving Hiccup  _ but it had no right if it was the cause how dare It regret now _

She strained against the arms desperately in growing agitation, determined to _get to Hiccup’s side to make that dragon pay for what it did to him_ but the arms held tight, refusing to let her move. Ruff was just standing there, unmoving, muscles tense, and Astrid wanted to scream at her to _move to help to do something you useless idiot_ _get out of my way_

Then Fishlegs gasped in relief, cried out, “He’s still breathing! He’s alive!” And she sagged completely, collapsing into the arms as someone yelped in surprise beneath her _. He wasn’t dead he wasn’t dead Tuff hadn’t killed him he didn’t have to hurt to die oh thank Thor-- _

She was finally able to break the staring contest with the dragon, to look down to see Snotlout was the one holding her back, who was looking up at her with a mix of fear and relief. She had no idea what to say to him, whether to thank him or not, and he didn’t seem sure of what to expect either, a reprimand or an apology. But then, just at that moment, there was a wheezing cough, and both their gazes snapped over to Hiccup, who was shaking slightly in Fishlegs’ arms, eyes open a crack.

Instantly, the two of them were at his side, as well as Toothless, who bounded over so quickly he seemed to just  _ appear _ at Hiccup’s side, purring in concern and relief. Astrid fell to her knees beside him, eyes wide, then winced as she caught a good look on him. Sure, he was alive, thank Thor, but he still looked on death’s door.

He  _ was  _ bleeding, cheeks red and raw, and he was covered in soot, smeared black over his armor and pale skin. Even his hair was a mess, ruffled and singed, and his eyes were half lidded, only slightly conscious. He coughed again, louder, and Fishlegs’ grip tightened in worry, but Hiccup smiled up at them tiredly, and Astrid’s heart felt like it was going to burst in relief.

“I did it.” He wheezed, voice hoarse, between pained coughs. He was still smiling though, eyes crinkled in genuine joy, and there was a small glimmer of mischief there as he grinned up at them. “I told you I could do it.”

Astrid wanted to huff in exasperation, tell him he almost died in the process, but all that came out was a quiet, relieved, “Yeah, you did.” She laughed breathily, putting her hand in his own and squeezing it gently. “You were right.”

Astrid was content to keep watching him lie there, alive and okay, with her friends at her side, but she knew they weren’t complete yet. She glanced back at Ruff, who was still frozen in place, still staring out at the woods, at her  _ brother _ . But now her expression had shifted, terror melting away into pure joy as she realized that not only was Hiccup alright, but her brother was too.

Then suddenly, with no warning, she whooped, and burst into a run, ignoring Snotlout’s panicked yelp, and Astrid’s shouted warning of “Ruff  _ wait _ -” as she swooped in to grab her brother’s skull, enveloping him in a tight one-sided hug. And astonishingly, Tuff  _ let _ her, seemingly only slightly bewildered by the sudden affection from a human that the dragon had literally never met.

She babbled excitedly, voice muffled by the bone, as she clutched him tightly, crowing in victory. “I knew it!! I knew you’d stay good, that you wouldn’t kill us, kill  _ me- _ ” Her voice wobbled at that, trembling, and her shoulders shook as she took a deep breath, and  _ oh _ she was  _ crying  _ now.

Astrid looked away quickly, cheeks pink, trying to give the two siblings some semblance of privacy. She hadn’t expected  _ that _ , and she certainly didn’t think she was meant to see it either. Instead, she looked back down at Hiccup, who was watching the reunion happily, smile big and bright.

At his other side, Snotlout grasped his free hand, eyes wide and fearful, worried. “I’m sorry, Hiccup, I should have told you, or trusted you, I’m sorry-”

“Hey, hey.” Hiccup interrupted, eyes somehow managing to soften further as he squeezed his hand in return. “It’s okay. It’s fine. You did good, Snotlout.”

Snotlout looked close to tears at that, but he just bit his lip and nodded, trying to smooth his own expression back to a casual level of concern and gratefulness and failing miserably, in Astrid’s opinion. She might have called him out for it, but she wasn’t interested in that particular brand of hypocrisy today, and she also knew now wasn’t the time for teasing. Not when they were all still so raw with relief and exhaustion.

“Did you do the hand thing?” Fishlegs asked, still leaning over Hiccup, arms holding him in place, tone half joking, half genuine curiosity. Hiccup’s smile widened at that, and Astrid had a feeling if either of his hands were free, he’d look down at his palms thoughtfully again, zoning out on them.

Seeing as both his hands were currently filled with their own though, he chose to glance over at the twins instead. To admire how small Ruff looked in comparison of her brother’s current form, blonde hair in a sea of green and red, and how completely unconcerned she seemed by this, laughing and crying as she held her twin tight against her, not bothered in the slightest by the size difference, the height difference, the  _ species _ difference between the two of them. Still so happy to have her brother back.

“Yeah.” Hiccup murmured happily, “I did.”

***

The rest of the night passed in a blur, after that.

After getting over initial fear, the Lycanwing was incredibly affectionate, much like his human counterpart, and once the other riders had left Hiccup’s side to greet him properly he was eager to meet them, trilling in happiness as he circled Snotlout, mouth as close to a smile as he could get.

Snotlout had been far less comfortable with the excited affection, arms up in surrender, eyes moving quickly, as he tried to keep Tuff in his line of sight. “Uhhh,” he had said, voice high and panicked, “What is he  _ doing _ ?”

“He’s figuring out how best to kill you!” Ruff had laughed, grinning in amusement. She’d long since wiped her face clean of tears, but her cheeks were still a bit pink, eyes red and puffy. No one chose to mention that though.

“He likes you!” Fishlegs had cooed, and Snotlout had shot him a look of fearful annoyance, before flicking his eyes back to the dragon in question.

“ _ Real _ answers please?”

Tuff then chose that second to finally stop circling, seemingly satisfied with himself, and lay down suddenly, flattened the last of the non-burned grass that remained beneath him, and effectively trapping Snotlout in a literal dragon cage. Snotlout’s wide eyes went to Hiccup this time, who was still being propped up, this time in Astrid’s lap, injuries still clear on his body. “Hey Leader? Little help here?” He had tried to keep his voice casual, sarcastic, but the nervousness still managed to bleed through despite his best efforts.

Hiccup had just smirked with not nearly enough sympathy for Snotlout’s liking, elbowing Astrid lightly in the stomach, chuckling quietly. “So much for eating him first, right?” To Snotlout he had then called out, voice still rough from all the coughing he’d done earlier, scratchy. “Fishlegs was right, he likes you!”

Snotlout oddly enough, had not felt reassured by that teasing statement.

“How do I get out??” he had yelled back.

“You don’t!” Astrid had said, unhelpfully.

“Wait for him to turn human again!” Had been Fishlegs’ slightly more helpful suggestion.

Thankfully, he hadn’t had to wait that long, in the end, Tuff seemed to sense his discomfort, and had let Snotlout escape.

The Lycanwing had then turned his attention to the other dragons, eyes bright and curious, and they’d reacted with a variety of responses to that eagerness. Hookfang had just snorted dismissively, avoiding any sort of touch from the dragon, while Meatlug had been immediately affectionate, eager for new friends. 

Stormfly had been calm, and unlike Astrid, had seemed largely unbothered by the lycanwing’s presence, letting him approach her without a single squawk of protest. Toothless had been far more suspicious, still on edge from Hiccup’s close brush with death, and he’d kept his distance, rumbling in the back of his throat when Tuff came too close for comfort.

And lastly, Tuffnut had turned his attention to Barf and Belch. The two hadn’t really had the chance to meet, both far too preoccupied with the lycanwing’s terrifying reappearance to worry about introductions. But now that they had the time, they were hesitant. Tuff didn’t recognize them, sure, but he had a weird feeling about them. A sense of kinship he couldn’t quite explain.

And for Barf and Belch, that feeling was accentuated even further. They had never met a Lycanwing before, this dragon was a complete stranger to them. But he smelt of their rider, and their other riser had treated him like one of her own. So with those feelings, those familiarities, fresh in their mind, they had bumped heads with the Lycanwing gently, imitating the ritual their riders loved to perform. A clear sign as any that they accepted him despite everything.

And after those mostly successful draconic introductions, they spent the rest of the night in that clearing, sitting on the charred ground and keeping Tuff company, until finally, after what felt like forever, the moon started to lower in the sky, disappearing over the cliff’s edge, as the rosy light of dawn peeked it’s way out of the ocean. The transformation was sudden, the dragon’s head rising to meet the sunlight, with a noise on the line between dragon and human, and while the transformation itself looked slightly less horrifying, it sure didn’t look comfortable.

His skull melted once again, dripping down to pool around his green neck, down what was starting to become his shoulders once more, and slowly, his reddened face came back into view, mostly intact, aside from the burns that painted his forehead and cheeks as his bone mask split and frayed into individual hairs, into undone dreadlocks that dangled in front of his face. His bones rearranged themselves with cracks and pops, skin folding back into arms as the bones retracted, sliding back into the flesh. His spine snapped back into place, reddened bone slicked with blood reentered his back, as he arched it with a cry of pain. Nails snapped and shortened, talons straightening back into feet as he decreased in size, body steadily regaining its human shape.

But the most noticeable change had to be the scales. They peeled off his body easily, falling to the ground as he scratched his skin with his nails, green scales flaking off to reveal his reddened flesh underneath. Raw and sore, but unmistakably Tuffnut. At the end of the transformation, there was simply a small naked teenager laying on the ground, in a veritable bed of shed scales that took up almost as much space as a Monstrous Nightmare’s wings, and a puddle of blood that was slowly amassing beneath him, draining out of his still seeping wounds.

Clearly, his body hadn’t approved of his bones emerging from their fleshy cage, and the exit routes were marked quite obviously by a large wound that went down the entirety of his spine, and stripped patches of missing flesh that went all the way up both of his arms, where said bones had escaped and promptly reentered.

His hair was a paler blond than usual, almost white, but managed to come out looking practically untouched, despite its earlier shift from solid to liquid to back again. Unfortunately, his face was far less lucky, burned and stinging, he looked like he’d been attacked by a pack of Terrible Terrors. His mouth was bleeding too, teeth sharper than usual, still recovering from its deformation under the draconic skull. He was breathing heavily, pupils thin and slitted with distress, but he was Tuffnut once again.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

***

Ruffnut was quick to rush to her brother’s side, falling to the ground beside him, and to envelope him in another sudden hug. Tuff was far less enthusiastic about said hug this time, unfortunately, and he winced, hissing in pain and discomfort. Not only was his body personally mad at him for transforming into a dragon, he was still missing clothes, and physical contact was honestly the last thing his throbbing skin was craving.

Thankfully, she sensed his distress, and released him before he had to complain verbally, grimacing in concern at the pained noise he made at the contact. He watched her glance down at her hands, another mistake, since she’d been touching his back, and now they were shining slick with blood, stained red.

They made eye contact, and he could practically feel his pupils widening,  _ softening _ , at the sight of her. He couldn’t remember anything from the last few hours; the only sign that time had really passed was the sun rising behind them, coloring the grass beneath them a soft bronze. He squinted his eyes in the bright light, eyes still far too sensitive, before focusing his attention back at Ruff’s face.

Her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his face up close,  _ probably not a good thing _ , and very gently, she grasped one of his hands with her own. A far less painful way of showing her affection, and one Tuff may have teased her about any other day. Tonight,  _ today _ , was special though. He’d allow her this rarity. Even if her hand was still wet with blood, uncomfortably warm and damp in his own.

“We need to get you some bandages bro, this looks….” She trailed off, frowning deeply, temporarily lost for words, before settling on “ _ bad _ .”

He made a face, pointedly not looking down at his own arms, which were stinging badly. “Can’t we get me some clothes first?”

“Oh yeah, good point.”

And without a moment’s hesitation, she shrugged off her vest, letting go of his hand to remove it, and draped it over his shoulders, hands uncharacteristically steady and slow. “There. Perfect.”

He winced awkwardly. “Pants would be nice.”

A bundle of leather hit him in the face as soon as the words left him, and he recoiled at the impact on his burns, before reaching up to grab it. “Uh.” He said, eloquently. He held it out in front of him to inspect, noting it’s wider and shorter shape, and its teal scales.

It was…Snotlout’s shirt.

He looked behind it, lifting the fabric higher, and sure enough, Snotlout was now shirtless, crossing his arms over his pale chest, scowling. He was pointedly avoiding eye contact, or saying anything, so Tuff looked back at the piece of leather thoughtfully. “Hm. Kind of small.”

“You don’t  _ have _ to wear it.” Snotlout snapped, tone irritated.

“No, I’m gonna.” And he laid it down on his lap like a makeshift blanket, effectively covering the worse of his nudity.

Snotlout didn’t look exactly happy at his chosen placement, but he didn’t argue further, so it was probably fine. And on the bright side, his friend’s bare chest and mostly bare arms made him easy to look over for injuries. Well, new injuries that was. His arms were still covered with a variety of dragon bites after all, courtesy of his beloved sister.

At Snotlout’s side, Astrid frowned at his mismatched scraps of an actual outfit, shaking her head in a classic sign of disapproval. “When we get back we need to get you some real clothes.” Her eyes flickered to the tatters of his leftover clothes from the transformation, which were so completely unwearable that they almost made his current ‘outfit’ look reasonable. Key word being almost. She stepped closer, getting a better look at his wounds, and she nodded at Ruff. “And some bandages.”

Ruff didn’t look that happy with Astrid’s agreement though, to Tuff’s surprise, and didn’t even bother to glance up at her, instead choosing to keep her gaze focused on Tuff. Huh. Weird.

Still, when Astrid held out her hand, expression uncharacteristically uncertain, Tuff took it without thinking, lifting himself to his feet with her help while Ruff stood up beside him. Even with the help, his body still throbbed in protest at the movement, and he groaned. “Urg. My bones hurt.”

Ruff made a face at that, as she lifted his arm, slipping it around her neck, over her shoulder, for support. Now that she was close enough to properly examine, Tuff took a second to glance her over, to search her bare arms for bite marks or scratches, some sign of injury. Nothing immediately stood out, thank Thor, but that wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him.

He bit his lip nervously, and immediately regretted it, as his still sharp teeth dug into his lip, drawing blood. Still, ignoring the added pain, he asked hesitantly, looking up at his friends. “Did I—” he swallowed, mouth dry. “Did I hurt any of you?”

Ruff paused midway into her first step towards Barf and Belch, sucking in a breath. All of the rest of the riders froze as well, and for what felt like a full minute, no one spoke. Tuff had asked that question hoping for an immediate dismissal, a quick  _ oh no of course not don’t be ridiculous _ . Not a far too long stretch of silence where everyone’s eyes slowly drifted over to Hiccup, expressions different shades of uncomfortable and guilty.

Cautiously, Tuff glanced over at Hiccup, and immediately yelped. “Oh Thor—your  _ face _ !”

His face was just as red as Tuff’s, and though Tuff could barely see him from this distance, thanks to his now far too sensitive eyes, it looked burned and blistered, skin peeling off. And that wasn’t even taking into account his general bedraggled appearance, hair a mess, clothes burnt and soot covered. He did  _ not  _ look good.

He felt his stomach twist with guilt, and he looked away quickly, unable to look Hiccup in the eyes. He’d told them, he’d  _ warned  _ them not to follow him. The whole point of running away had been preventing the loss of his friends, and keeping them  _ safe _ .  _ What had he  _ **_done_ ** _ to Hiccup? Had he tried to kill him to tear him apart to burn him alive oh Thor what if he had what if he hadn’t been stopped what if he’d killed Hiccup-- _

__ “ _ Tuff _ .” Hiccup said firmly, snapping him out of his spiralling thoughts. “I’m fine. This is nothing.”

Part of Tuff wanted to make a leg joke at that, the other part just wanted to throw up at the sight of his mangled face. What if he’d scarred Hiccup forever? What if every day he’d have to look his best friend in the eye, stare him in the face that looked like that because of him? Staring down the living monument to the sins he couldn’t even remember committing?

“Tuff.” Hiccup repeated, voice slow and steady. He could hear a slight edge of worry to his tone though, a slimmer of concern. Honestly, Hiccup should’ve been busy worrying about his permanently damaged face instead of Tuff’s dumb possible trauma from almost murdering him.

“ _ Tuff _ .” Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. Tuff looked up in astonishment to see Hiccup standing right in front of him. Fuck, when had he moved? His face looked even worse up close; unfortunately,Tuff had been right about the blisters. Man, he really needed bandages for that.

“Tuff.” Hiccup said, for the fourth time. Did he think Tuff was deaf as well? Begrudgingly, Tuff stared into his hazel eyes, which were bright with passion. “I promise I’m okay. It was an accident, and you didn’t mean to do it. So it’s fine.”

Hiccup nodded to Ruff as well, except this time she nodded in response, expression grateful. Huh. Double weird.

“C’mon bro. let’s get you back to the base.” She murmured, rubbing her hand on his back.

It was strange to hear her talk like that, soft and worried, and Tuff didn’t particularly like it. It didn’t really feel like Ruff when she wasn’t yelling in stressed anger, or joking at his side. Genuine gentle concern was…new.

Still, he let her lead him over to Barf and Belch, let her help him onto his own saddle, a hand on her shoulder for support. He wasn’t heartless, after all.

He knew she needed it.

***

Dressing her brother’s wounds was an uncomfortable experience for Ruff. Which was kind of weird to admit, since she wasn’t the injured one, or even the one doing the dressing. That was Fishlegs’ job after all. Still, after hours spent worrying over her brother’s safety, and far too many minutes spent watching his body morph into something wrong, she felt extra sensitive, high strung, and every exclamation of pain from Tuff seemed to physically hurt her insides.

She knew her twin didn’t enjoy bathing on the best of days, and despite Fishlegs preaching the importance of washing his cuts and burns, that didn’t mean Tuff wasn’t going to stop complaining. And complain he did, grumbling and grousing as they dumped buckets of hot water on the still raw skin, heated by Toothless himself, though Tuff stopped quickly once he noticed how unhappy it made them. 

He was far more perceptive than most people gave him credit for, and he could sense the guilt that was still radiating off of all of them all in waves. She could practically hear his thought process, feel the frustration that came from the thought, the certainty that _ he _ was the guilty one, he was the one who’d almost killed Hiccup, the one who’d almost burned the island to the ground! Why did  _ they _ feel bad?

And sure, on a logical level, she sort of got where he was coming from. The island had almost been burnt to a crisp, was in fact still burning, and Astrid and Snotlout had volunteered to take care of putting out the forest fire while the rest of them focused on helping Tuff recover. She had a feeling the quick volunteering came more from an urge to avoid a still upset Ruff, who was reasonably pissed about Astrid’s attempted murder, and a still vulnerable Tuff who probably gave them far too many emotions to repress, and less from any actual concern about said forest fire. But hey, what did she know?

On the other hand, this was her brother feeling bad, over something that was completely out of his control, and something he’d tried to fix all on his own, desperate not to hurt anyone except himself in the process. He was the last person who deserved to feel guilty here, no matter what he believed.

She watched Hiccup wince as the hot water poured down Tuff’s now bare skin, blood leaking down with it, and staining the floorboards beneath them a dark red. Those stains would be near impossible to get out, but that was a small price to pay to keep Tuff’s wounds uninfected. And yeah, usually they wouldn’t do this inside, they weren’t idiots, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They were trying to limit the amount of movement her brother had to endure, and his hut had seemed like the most logical spot at the time. Worse case, she’d decimate the bloodstained floorboards and they’d replace them with cleaner wood.

Once Tuff was rinsed off, and dried off with a huff of hot air, courtesy of Toothless, since Barf and Belch’s own breath was far too explosive, they got to work on applying the bandages. Tuff fidgeted under Fishlegs’ careful hands, knees bouncing unconsciously as his arms were wrapped with bandages, which almost immediately turned pink from blood. Ruff held his hand in an attempt to steady him, squeezing it lightly whenever he flinched, and though he made a face at the visible affection, he still let her do it. 

Next was the torso, back still split open painfully. Hiccup had considered getting Gothi, but the explanation would take too long, and the flight itself as well. By the time the healer finally got to the Edge….well they doubted Tuff would be in very good shape. No, the easiest solution was to help him themselves, using all the second-hand medicinal knowledge at their hands, mostly courtesy of Fishlegs and herself.

Finally, once his wounds were bandaged as best as they could manage, they helped dress him again, this time in his own clothes. Her and Snotlout’s now bloodstained clothes were tossed to the side, with the unspoken agreement that they would burn them later.

They then sent her brother to bed, and sure enough, he was almost immediately unconscious. She watched him sleep for a moment, while Hiccup and Fishlegs cleaned up the medicinal mess they’d made to the best of their ability behind her. 

Tuff looked better when he slept, the worried expression finally smoothing out, brows unfurrowing. His still form brought back bad memories though, of smoke inhalation and attempted killing, so she looked away quickly before the mental comparison between her brother’s sleeping form and what they’d fearfully assumed was Hiccup’s soot stained corpse could fully set in. 

Instead, she followed the others to the door of her twin’s hut. Once they were outside, Fishlegs said triumphantly, and rather tiredly. “Well, he’s okay!”

Ruff cheered at that declaration, and held out a hand for a high five. Surprisingly, Fishlegs reciprocated, though he did put his other finger to his mouth, gesturing with his head back to her still sleeping brother. She cheered again, but quieter this time, and Hiccup couldn’t resist a chuckle at the familiar banter.

Then he yawned. “Alright gang, we should really go to bed. It’s been a long day.” He paused, glancing up at the sun that was still rising over the horizon, sky a mix of pink and blue. “And night.” 

Toothless didn’t seem to agree though, grumbling at his side, and Fishlegs put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow in disapproval. “Uh, no way Hiccup. Don’t think you’re escaping a bath that easily.” 

Hiccup’s shoulders slumped, and he made a face. “Fishlegs….”

“Don’t you ‘ _ Fishlegs _ ’ me. You’re covered in ash and blood!”

Hiccup looked like he wanted to argue further, maybe protest the obvious, but one look at the expectant expressions that surrounded him was enough to make him give up. “Fine, fine.” He muttered, rolling his eyes as if he was the reasonable one here.

He started to make his way back to his hut, Fishlegs and their dragons close behind, before pausing to look back at Ruff. “You should sleep though.”

“Actually,” said Ruff, “I’m gonna go keep Tuff company.” 

Hiccup didn’t even attempt to protest at that, eyes going wide for a second before softening, and he nodded. “Alright then. I’ll see you…” he looked up at the sky again, frowning at the daylight, before finishing awkwardly. “later then.” 

She grinned tiredly, and waved them off, until finally she was alone once again. 

Then, once they’d disappeared completely from her line of sight, she turned around, and reentered her brother’s hut, closing the door behind her as silently as she could, blocking out the last rays of daylight from the now pitch-black room. She crept over to her brother’s bed once again, moving slowly and carefully, watching out for creaking floorboards beneath her. She was determined not to wake her brother up, to give him the sleep he so desperately needed.

Unfortunately, that plan was dashed as she glanced up halfway to his bed, and saw Tuff, wide awake, staring at her. He was sitting up too, not even bothering to fake sleep. “Oh.” He said dazedly. “It’s just you.” And he lay back down immediately, wincing at the pressure on his back. “I thought it was Hiccup again, or Fishlegs.” He explained unnecessarily. “coming to fix my bandages or something.” He grimaced at that, and she sighed, crossing the rest of the distance between them in two quick strides, and sat down on the bed beside him.

He scooched over slightly to allow her better room, wordlessly, and she took it gratefully. They both knew the bed could easily take both their weights, so there was no point in worrying over it. 

“He _ just _ bandaged you, muttonhead. He won’t come back until tomorrow at least.”

Tuff exhaled in relief. “Good to know.”

There was a moment of silence then, unusually awkward. Ruff had never struggled to talk with her twin before, no matter what crazy things they went through together, like riding a two headed dragon after years of being taught how to kill one, or pretending to be dragon hunters together where the price of being caught was likely death. When they fought they were quick to forgive, and when they got hurt they were quick to recover. 

Still, they’d never gone through something that was both so dangerous and so personal. Something that forced them to address their deep-set affection and concern for each other, and address it in front of the rest of their friends. Something they couldn’t fight head on, or trick or lie themselves out of. It was not a nice feeling. And that was ignoring the images that still hadn’t left the back of her mind, of snapping bones and melted skin, of screams of agony. She’d thought he was  _ dying _ . 

And yet here he was now, despite all that pain, he was still alive, still  _ Tuffnut _ . But still. He could have died out there. She could have died out there. They could’ve been forced to kill each other. And that knowledge, along with the fact that this was probably a permanent problem now, since there was seemingly no cure for Lycanwings, tightened their lips and twisted their tongues.

But eventually, Ruff couldn’t bear the silence any longer, and croaked out. “I’m glad you didn’t jump.”

Tuff laughed weakly at that, shifting his head to look up at her. “Me too.” He admitted. 

For the third time that morning, she was hit with the urge to comfort, to hold him close and never let him go, but she knew that was far too much affection than what she was willing to show in one day, even in private, and more importantly, that his torso was still too sensitive to squeeze. So instead she once again settled for finding his hand and grasping it, feeling the skin under her fingers. It was still rough and dry, not quite scales but almost, and his nails were a little longer, a little less human.

“You know you’re still my brother, right? Dragon or not.” She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “I meant what I said back there.”

Tuff moved his hand slightly, thumb brushing against her palm, and he hummed. He was quiet for a moment, turning the words over in his head, before finally answering. “Yeah. I think so.”

She huffed, looking away. His words were too vague for her liking, and she doubted he was fully processing them. She knew he was tired, but she also knew her brother was guilty of overthinking, of accidentally trapping himself in spiralling thoughts that start out as jokes but quickly morph into real fears. “Well don’t you ever forget it.” 

There was quiet again, for a moment, at that. Ruff stared out at their dark surroundings, room unlit and shadowed thanks to both the closed door and the hut’s lack of windows. If it wasn’t for the fact that she knew from stepping outside a few minutes ago that it was definitely morning, she could almost believe it was still night. It wasn’t though, and Ruff took comfort in the knowledge that the full moon was long gone and wouldn’t be back for a while. They were safe. 

For now. 

She glanced back at her brother, face barely visible in the darkness. His eyes glinted though, shining in the dark, and she had the feeling he could see her perfectly clearly. Still, she focused on his expression, squinting her eyes. He looked tired most of all, but scared too, on edge. Muscles still tight and ready to spring, eyes searching the room for something,  _ someone  _ out of place.

An idea came to mind, watching him, and before she could question it, she asked, “Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”

She was careful to keep her voice light, casual, as if this wasn’t something weird to ask of her, something they practically never did. Sure, when they were younger it was fine, considered adorable by their mom, but now they were teenagers. They were supposed to be mature now, independent even if they lived constantly attached at the hip. She hoped he wouldn’t take the offer as a joke, or some twisted form of teasing.

He frowned in the darkness, looking away from her to stare at the wall. She still couldn’t fully see his face, but she was pretty sure she watched his face go through several different expressions, including a blush of shame, and a grimace of uncertainty, before finally…. “Yes.” He admitted, voice small. 

She resisted a cry of victory at that answer, instead giving him a small grin, nudging him in the side. “Then move over, you big bony lump!” Her tone was light for real that time, the teasing helping to distract from the dark room and their darker thoughts. He scooched over even further, moving his limbs out of the way, leaving her space on the bed to lay down beside him.

And lie down she did, trying her best not to accidentally elbow or knee him as she did. He  _ was  _ bony, but she knew he was still recovering, still delicate, so she didn’t bother to kick him when his elbow dug into her ribs. There was a moment of adjustment, two heads struggling to fit on one pillow, two bodies trying their best to fit in one bed, but they eventually managed to settle down, facing opposite directions, cold feet brushing up against each other as their elbows knocked together. 

She smiled into the darkness, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Goodnight Tuff.”

And tone quiet and grateful, Tuff responded, a whisper. “Goodnight Ruff.”

And finally, finally she closed her eyes. She knew this wasn’t over, far from it, and that her brother still wasn’t okay. She knew there’d be conversations to have in the morning, and not the fun ones. Tuff had injuries to recover from, mental and physical, and a whole new self to figure out. There were going to be fights, and struggles, and nothing was going to be easy.

But she also knew that he had her. He would always have her, no matter what happened, no matter what he did, or what he went though. She was certain of that. And at the end of the day, at the beginning of the new day, as she let herself drift off, she knew that was all that really mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I love love this fun funky self indulgent au, and I hope you do too! I have,,,so many ideas for this au  
> These twins are my favorites, if it's not obvious by now, but I love the whole gang, and it was really fun to write the found family content I crave!  
> And hey, if you liked the fic,,,,kudoses and comments are pretty epic :0

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I sure hope things don't get worse from here haha! Also kudos and comments are delicious snacks and i am a hungry hungry writer


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